Bittersweet Symphony
by NativeMoon
Summary: AU. Why does Snape never eat at Order of the Phoenix Headquarters? What is the truth behind the animosity between he and Lupin? What does Voldemort have in store this time for the wizarding world...and Snape? Snape/OFC
1. Free Me

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers. **

**AU. Why does Snape never eat at Order of the Phoenix Headquarters? What is the truth behind the animosity between he and Lupin? What does Voldemort have in store this time for the wizarding world...and Snape? Read on…**

**Bittersweet Symphony**

**by NativeMoon**

**Chapter 1: Free Me**

_The fall term of Harry Potter's Sixth Year_

Professor Severus Snape, Potions Master and Head of Slytherin House at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, walked quickly to get out of the rain. He always went elsewhere for his dinner rather than remaining at Grimmauld Place with the rest of the Order of The Phoenix. The reason for this had to do with matters that were deeply personal as much as it did with the rest of the Order's blatant mistrust and aversion to him and his presence amongst them. The way he was regarded within the Order did bother him subconsciously; but as with most things he buried it deep inside and willed it not to touch him. But inevitably it did and would show itself through his caustic and cruel persona.

Nothing he'd done was ever good enough. He was no fool. He'd always known that risking his life by returning to the fold of his enemy would never garner him any respect from any of them. The Potions Master needed to be rid of Lord Voldemort as much as anyone else but for very different reasons. However, no one else cared about the dark magic that bound him to the Dark Lord. The only way to get some semblance of a real life and peace was to see to it that Voldemort was destroyed once and for all. Why Dumbledore hadn't just destroyed him outright was still a mystery to many, not the least of whom was Professor Snape. However, no one else had to take the risks or make the considerable sacrifices that he was making.

The sacrifices he'd always had to make – at the Headmaster's insistence.

**XxxOOOxxX**

Lisa Bey ran inside the brown brick schoolhouse. The last thing she'd needed was to have to stay late at work; but thank god it was her last week. One more day and she was free from the monotony of working for an investment bank in its corporate communications department. She could focus the design business she'd had going on the side and set her own schedule.

It was better this way all things considered.

"Hello Mrs. Anderson. Thanks so much for having Sebastian and Selena – I was on my way out the door but wasn't fast enough for the boss…"

"No problem at all Miss Bey. They rather enjoyed themselves with the others," said the after-school playgroup leader. "You should consider letting us have them in the after-school programme…"

"Sounds like a great idea – you can have them then!"

Lisa and Mrs. Anderson had a laugh as they filled out a little form with the necessary details. The playgroup mistress told her about the rather comical show-and-tell that the children had today in assembly.

"MUMMY!" came a little voice.

Lisa's six year-old son hurled himself against his mother's legs.

"Hello sweetpea! Mrs. Anderson says you were having fun…"

"Uh huh! Look what I made!"

Sebastian handed his mother a soaking wet piece of paper loaded with bright watercolours.

"That's beautiful baby!" Lisa said with a big smile. "Is that for me?"

"Uh uh – Daddy!"

"Oooo well isn't Daddy lucky then!"

"You have something else for your mummy, don't you Sebastian?" asked Mrs. Anderson with a wink.

"Uh huh!"

Sebastian ran to his table and grabbed a bright green lump of Play-Doh.

"Look what I made Mummy!" he said thrusting it in his mother's hand.

"Well done! Is it a doggy?"

"NO!"

"A cow?"

"NO!" Sebastian said with giggles this time.

"Hmmmm let me see…"

"Mummy you know what it is!" said Sebastian with a fake pout.

"Yes – it's Emerald isn't it?" asked Lisa with a big grin.

Emerald was the owl given to her by Sebastian's father. Owls were common where they lived, so seeing one more near the house would not draw undue attention.

"YAY!" Sebastian clapped and then ran a mad circle around his mother.

"MUMMY!" came another little squeal.

Her four year-old daughter Selena padded over in her pink and white fairy princess costume complete with wings, pink glittery slippers and a plastic magic wand with a glittery star at the end.

"How's my little princess hmmm?"

"Look!" said Selena as she thrust a big red blob in her mother's hand.

"That's gorgeous sweetie – that for me?"

Selena shook her head 'no'.

"For Daddy?"

Selena shook her head 'yes".

"Hmmm is it a pig?"

"NO!"

"Hmmm is it…a…car?"

"NO!"

"Well I give up Princess…what is it then?"

"IT'S DADDY!"

"OOO it looks just like him petal!"

Sebastian thought this was funny and started running around again peeling with laughter. The other children started clapping and shouting and running around with him.

"Alright, alright! Calm down everybody! Say goodbye to Sebastian and Selena and let's finish our projects…" said Mrs. Anderson with a grin as she shooed the children back to their tables and the other two classroom assistants.

Lisa gathered her children's lunchboxes, raincoats and hats and Wellington boots from their little cubes. She sat on one of the little kiddie stools nearby.

"Come on Seb, Sel – time to motor!"

Sebastian ran over with his pots of Play-Doh, some art and crafts projects that he'd finished some time ago but kept forgetting and his little backpack. He dumped them unceremoniously in his mother's lap. Selena ran over and dumped her crafts on the floor along with her backpack.

"Oh no you don't mes amies!"

Her children were masters at getting her to sort things out for them. But their mother folded her arms and waited patiently while they packed away their things. Their little backpacks wouldn't hold it all and Sebastian didn't want his paintings to get 'smushed' so Lisa had to put some things in the leather satchel she used for work. Selena was not one to be left out and pressed her little blobs, canisters of paints and Play-Doh on her mother.

She buttoned Sebastian and Selena up tight amidst much complaining and then let them say goodbye to their playmates before they left. Selena refused to take off her fairy costume and Lisa had to wrap her coat around her and carry her.

Once they were at her car, Lisa bundled them into their children's seats in the back seat of the car.

"Mummy I'm hungry…" said Sebastian with a tired moan.

"I'll fix your tea as soon as we get home ok?"

"Mummy I want Daddy!" said Selena with a sulky pout very much like her father's.

"I know honey; I want to see Daddy too…" came a sad reply.

Lisa couldn't help it. A few tears started rolling down her cheeks.

"Why are you crying Mummy?" asked Sebastian as he gave his mother a poke.

"Mummy's tired sweetpea…it's been a long day…"

She'd love nothing more than to see her children's father every night and have them be like a normal family. But it just wasn't possible.

Not yet.

**XxxOOOxxX**

Remus Lupin stood under a tree some distance away, watching as Lisa bundled the children into her Muggle transport. Of all the regrets about his life, she was undoubtedly the biggest. He should handle things a lot differently with her. He certainly could do if he just tapped into his formidable Gryffindor bravery. He would do well to find a bit a Slytherin cunning and resourcefulness, he thought to himself.

Lisa's parents had always tolerated him enough; but would never contemplate the thought of their daughter marrying one so lowly as him with his shabby patched-up clothes and no serious prospects for employment. Her lies about him over the years had not fooled them one bit.

Still, he was surprised that her parents even bothered to see him last week. No doubt they had their reasons and they had to be very interesting ones. Whatever they were, the senior Beys were playing their cards close to their chest.

Remus wished things could be different between he and Lisa. But he still believed that she was much safer without him than she was with him; especially since she was a Muggle. Seeing her with the children – it always broke his heart being reminded of just what he was missing. He was tired of living like this; of not having a proper family with her and a stable home life for them, but had no choice.

He'd always had to make sacrifices – at the Headmaster's insistence.

**XxxOOOxxX**

Professor Snape let himself in the back entrance of a detached house at the end of a road. It was quite unlike what anyone would have imagined he'd live in had they known about it. It was a spacious and very pretty powder blue and cream Regency style house resplendent with Juliet balconies. When he saw the house near the little village of Eastcote-Upon-Barnet he knew it was the one. It was set back from the road behind large hedges and tall trees. There was ample land all around it and its front and back gardens were lush and full.

It was the perfect house in the perfect location.

He hung up his wet things in the little wet room off the conservatory and then went into the kitchen. He might as well get dinner on while he had a hot shower. A few waves of his wand and there would be roast chicken and potatoes, dinner rolls, gravy and mixed vegetables of carrots, peas and corn.

Everything was cooking in the large blue Aga range. A few more flicks of his wand and the table was set. He went back to the sitting room and started a fire in the large fireplace. It was really hammering it down outside with rain and wind now. It felt and looked more a like typical English winter than autumn.

As he stood up Severus looked around the familiar untidiness of the large room and let out a deep sigh.

It was so good to be home.

**XxxOOOxxX**

Lisa pulled into her garage and sighed as she locked it electronically behind them.

"Alright you two…dinner and bed!"

There were none of the usual howls of protest from the back. She turned around. Both her babies were fast asleep, worn out by the afternoon's activities and the drive home. She couldn't help but smile. There were some regrets she had about her life, but her children was not one of them.

Neither was their father.

Lisa unpacked the boot and carried the kids' things into the hall along with the groceries she'd picked up on the way home. She'd leave them there for the time being. She took a deep breath from tiredness and then stood stock-still. Was that chicken she was smelling? She walked into the kitchen and let out a sigh of relief.

She had to resist the temptation to go tearing through the house. The children needed tending to. She made it as far as the hallway.

"Hello Angel," came a familiar silky whisper of a baritone.

Lisa forgot her usual self-restraint and ran into her husband's arms.

"We've missed you so much," she sobbed as they held each other tightly.

"I know," replied Severus gently as he savoured being able to hold the woman he loved in his arms once more. "I've missed you too – you have no idea how much…"

They hugged and kissed and could not bear to let go of each other.

"Where are the children?"

"In the car; they fell asleep after we went to the market. I ended up getting them their tea in the restaurant there. Seb has his father's appetite…"

Severus took his wife by the hand and walked her back to the garage. Sebastian and Selena were still fast asleep. It never ceased to amaze him what exotic combinations of both their parents his children were in looks and temperament. Sebastian had his black hair and eyes, and a more delicate version of his prominent nose (so far). Selena's hair was the same rich reddish-brown hue as her mothers and looked just like her, even down to her amber eyes. Sebastian's hair was straight like his but Selena's was long and loosely curly and wispy like Lisa's own. They had a much paler version of their mother's dark honey-coloured skin and even Sebastian looked more like her with his large eyes than he did his father – 'mercifully thank the Goddess', Severus had thought as his son got older.

But there would be no doubts as to who their father was were he to ever be seen with his children, especially Sebastian.

At times Sebastian also seemed to have some of his peculiar brand of Snape temperament, much to his chagrin. He would do his best to see that both of his children were not anything like him in personality in their everyday lives. He wanted them to have every opportunity for happiness and comfort, especially growing up. God forbid his children should ever experience the kind of home life he'd survived. In many ways there were definitely their mother's children. And they would get along much better in the world were they like their mother rather than him.

Severus undid the seatbelt and security straps on Selena's seat and picked her up. He couldn't resist a chuckle.

"I see I have created a monster," he said silkily as he adjusted his long arms to accommodate his daughter's giant fairy wings.

"I told you not to get her that costume; I can't get her to take it off when she's not in school. They had show-and-tell today so she wore it specially. She was very proud that she's her daddy's fairy princess…" said Lisa with a grin as she picked up their son and locked the car. "Your princess, Severus."

"Was she?" he asked softly in amazement after they went back inside where it was warm and put the children to bed.

"Yes – they are _both_ very proud of their Daddy. You are their favourite topic after Spongebob Squarepants and Pokemon. Selena insisted that she wanted to see you in the market and of course that started off Sebastian. They both love you Severus, and they miss you terribly…just like their mum…"

Severus took a deep breath and blinked back tears as he adjusted the covers over his daughter and son. He leaned over and gave them each a gentle kiss on the forehead as they slept, clutching their favourite teddy bears which he'd given them last Christmas. They never liked sleeping alone during a storm. They were deathly afraid of them – just like their mother.

Lisa wrapped her arms around him from the back as he sat on the bed.

There was a jerk of his shoulders and Lisa took him into her arms. There were only three people in the world that could ever make Severus Snape feel anything: his wife, son and daughter. He had missed out on so much with them, though it was not his choice to do so. Dumbledore had kept him from life imprisonment in Azkaban and given him a job that also brought with it a measure of protection and respect in the Wizarding world. But whenever the Headmaster said 'jump' his response always had to be 'how high'.

The Potions Master was Dumbledore's lapdog as much as he'd been The Dark Lord's.

He was not free of either of them.

The only way he would ever be free would be to vanquish the Dark Lord once and for all. Then he would no longer be useful to the Headmaster or in his debt and could finally walk away from life at Hogwarts.

"I'm sorry Severus – I shouldn't have said those things…"

Professor Snape angrily brushed the tears off his cheeks and faced his wife.

"It is me that should apologise. I have ruined your life and our children's! What kind of man does not shoulder the responsibilities of his own family?!"

Selena stirred.

"Daddy?" she mumbled.

"Yes, Princess…its Daddy…" he said in a whisper even more quiet than his usual whisper of a voice as he gave his daughter a hug. "Go back to sleep…"

Selena rolled over and fell back into a deep sleep as her father adjusted the covers once more.

"I think we can put Seb down in his room…" said Severus as he picked up his still sleeping son clutching his Paddington Bear.

They left Selena's door slightly ajar and then went into their son's room to put him down for the night.

"The benefits of the after-school playgroup. I had to work late and they were kind enough to let the children stay again. The group leader tells me they enjoyed themselves and from what I could see they definitely did. So I signed them up today. They only ask for a small donation to help with supplies and snacks and things…"

Severus sighed. He was missing out on so much. He just wanted his wife and children and to be a proper husband and father to them.

"I made another deposit into the house account today. Do not worry about the cost."

They had always had a joint account with a major Muggle 'High Street' bank in Lisa's name only. However, he had access to it through a duplicate debit card and internet banking. It was a far safer and discreet arrangement than having it with Gringotts. Severus only kept a reasonable amount of funds in an account of his own with the wizarding bank run by goblins for appearances sake. Only enough that he could afford to lose.

Now that Voldemort was back and even stronger than before, there was no doubting that sooner or later the goblins would finally be persuaded to join his ranks. And if that happened it would take some doing to wrestle control of the bank from them. There weren't enough goblins on Dumbledore's side to ensure that the bank would not be one of the first wizarding institutions to fall.

Voldemort was being much more intelligent with his strategies this time around.

The Order was in for some major shocks when he filed his next report.


	2. Tangled Web

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers. **

**AU, OOC: Why does Snape never eat at Order of the Phoenix Headquarters? What is the truth behind the animosity between he and Lupin? What does Voldemort have in store this time for the wizarding world...and Snape? Read on…**

**AUTHORS NOTES: IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR CANON AND SUCH CHARACTERISATIONS YOU DEFINITELY WILL NOT FIND THEM HERE.**

**Bittersweet Symphony**

**by NativeMoon**

**Chapter 2: Tangled Web**

Lisa woke up at 5:30 in the morning as always. Even though she no longer had a job to get up for, she wasn't finding it as easy to adjust as she'd thought it would be. It hadn't even been a month already and still she hadn't shaken off the last remaining cobwebs from corporate life.

There was still quite a bit of time before the kids needed to be up and ready for school. She leaned over in the darkness and pulled Severus' pillow close to her once more. His musky scent was ever-present and did at least bring her a measure of comfort. As she thought of her husband a few tears began to fall.

'_What I wouldn't give for all this wizarding drama to be over and done with,'_ she thought to herself.

It was fairly obvious that she wouldn't be falling back asleep so she turned on her lamp and jumped out of bed. A half-hour later and she was downstairs in her studio switching on the computer. She downloaded her e-mails and scanned the senders quickly.

"_Mum and Dad – making me feel like crap as usual – eff that; Merrill's – delete – I don't work for you anymore and you treated me like shit; Christian – I need to see you – don't I?; WhiteMagic (DO NOT DELETE) – who the hell is WhiteMagic?...damn spam…"_ she muttered to herself.

She started to delete it anyway – but something nagged at her to see what it was. WhiteMagic – all things considering that couldn't just be a happy coincidence. She double-clicked – and promptly dropped the cappuchino she'd made herself when she realised who it was from.

'_Hello Guardian Angel,_

_I know this comes as a surprise. Do not be alarmed._

_All forms of communication here are being monitored. The situation being what it is, e-mail is not a consideration hence this one from me. With any luck I will see you day after tomorrow. I have some work to finalise. _

_No matter what – I love you and our princess and sweetpea. Missing you terribly as always. Stay safe and be careful. Remember what we talked about._

_Love._

_Silk Lyfae_

_P.S. Don't forget the pictures…'_

It was a note from Severus. One of the last things he had said to Lisa during his last trip home was to not send Emerald to him unless she had the OK from him first. When word had not come right away she knew something was amiss. It had been an agonising wait, but Lisa knew this was definitely her husband because no one else knew that he referred to her as his Guardian Angel. They met when she managed to help save his life along with Remus's. No one also knew that she called him Silk – because of the silky whisper of a speaking voice he tended to use in spite of being blessed with a rich baritone. The manner in which he used his voice was just one of the many complexities of the man she'd given her heart to. The "Lyfae" was his unique confirmation that it was him talking to her. It stood for _'love you for all eternity'_; it was his affirmation that she and she alone had his heart.

Still, Lisa could not help but to wonder what was going on in that wizarding world of his. E-mail should be very secure for him. But for everything he said, she had the feeling that there was a lot left unsaid. Severus always had a good reason for everything he did and did not do. She would just have to wait for him to come home and explain.

**XxxOOOxxX**

Lisa had just gotten back home from taking the children to school when her mobile phone rang. She checked the identifier. It said _'Anonymous'_ and had an Avon Valley phone code. Whoever it was – they were nearby.

She answered on the fourth ring as she sat in the sitting room.

"Hello?" she asked cautiously.

"_Hi Lisa, it's me…" came a familiar hoarse voice._

Lisa sighed. All things considered, she shouldn't be surprised that Remus was phoning her.

"Hey – I heard you had a war council with my parents…"

"_That is an understatement. You have some time to see me?"_

"Mmm hmm – just got home from taking the kids to school…where are you?"

"_Just outside Bradford-Upon-Avon – not far from you…in Westcote. I have a room at the Brambles Country House Hotel…"_

"Sounds very nice indeed…you must be doing well…"

"_Not exactly…I can explain later…"_

"Fair enough. Who am I asking for this time?"

"_Jim Perry," Remus said with a laugh_

Lisa laughed in spite of herself. Jim Perry was the host of many successful game shows in North America and had hosted the Miss Canada beauty pageant for something like 25 years. She'd had a huge crush on him growing up in Montreal and still had the autographed photo of him she'd cherished as a schoolgirl. Leave it to Remus to remember that. He always remembered the oddest things about her.

"Alright – _Jim _– see you in about half an hour…"

"_OK, see you soon…"_

Lisa disconnected and then walked over to one of the built in cupboards next to the fireplace. The newest school portraits had been sent home with the children on her last day of work during Severus' last visit. She took out a couple of wallet-sized photos of Selena along with two of the larger ones Severus had put in nice engraved wooden frames. She grabbed a couple of Selena in her fairy princess costume for good measure. She put them in a small box and grabbed a plain white plastic bag that was left from the last time she went to the book and crafts fair at the children's school.

There was no doubting that Remus should have some of the newest photos of his daughter.

**XxxOOOxxX**

Lisa pulled into the parking area across the small back country road from the Brambles Inn. It wasn't even in Westcote proper – it was plopped in the middle of gorgeous rolling green countryside some distance away from the town itself.

'He always was quite the romantic…' she thought fleetingly to herself.

"Can I help you?" asked a suspicious man at the front desk.

He was peering over his glasses, taking note that here was a guest with no luggage.

"I'm here to see Mr. Perry…"

"Oh – right. Let me guess, you're a friend of his right?"

"A close friend of his actually…"

"Is that right?"

The man clearly thought she must be up to something – like prostitution. Such a thing wasn't exactly unheard of even in the genteel affluence of the Avon Valley.

Lisa sighed and took out two photos from her wallet and showed him. It was a photo of her and Remus taken just before she fell pregnant with Selena. They were having lunch with her parents. The other photo was taken in the hospital when her daughter was only a few hours old. Lisa was holding Selena looking down at her and Remus was seated on the edge of the bed beaming as proudly as any new father would be even though they had already split up by then.

"Awww – bless!" the owner said giving Lisa her first welcoming look of the day. "Fair enough – Room 10. Up the stairs, two landings and at the back. Only one up there…but let's just check that he's in…and who exactly shall I say is here to see him?"

"Thank you…" said Lisa irritably, taking her pictures and putting them back in her wallet. "Tell him it's his ex-wife…"

**XxxOOOxxX**

_KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK_

"One second," Remus called out.

He gave himself one last look in the mirror and then sprinted to open the door. Lisa was standing there looking as agitated as she felt.

"Ahh I forgot to warn you; Mr. Linton is convinced your Valley is being overrun by vice operations brought in by interloper Londoners…"

He laughed.

"He needs a slap…" Lisa said irritably as she walked into the room and took off her coat. "I had to show him some proof that I really do know you before he would even be polite! Thank god I haven't cleaned up my wallet yet…"

"Looks like you did a fine job since he let you come up…let it go…don't spend all day being like this because of him…"

Remus pulled his ex-wife into a hug. Lisa was still the love of his life. Despite everything, he knew that there was still something strong between them. Lisa pulled back and gently touched his face. He still looked young though his face was even more prematurely lined and his light brown hair had more gray. There were also two slashes going cross it diagonally.

"I take it you've not always been able to get your potion recently?"

Remus sighed.

"No. Unfortunately, I've spent quite a bit of time away sorting out some details for the Headmaster in the colonies I told you about. Supplies are in short order out there and it wouldn't do for me to have the Wolfsbane while they go without. Even if they had what they needed – there isn't a certified Potions Master among them…"

Lisa shook her head and sat down on the bed since there was nothing else to sit on in the room, not even so much as a chair. Remus had obviously gone for the cheapest room possible since it was in the attic and all the way in the back. She suspected Mr. Linton was taking every advantage to make some money on a room that wasn't otherwise suitable for Holidaymakers, being as musty and dusty as it was with no furnishings apart from the old bed and a rickety wardrobe and night table.

"All these years – and your world is still just as alien to me sometimes as when I first met you two…" she sighed.

Remus sat down next to her.

"So – how are you doing? When I spoke to your parents you were just about to leave your job. They weren't happy…"

"Nothing about me or my life has ever made them happy – what else is new…"

"What about you; are you happy?" asked Remus cautiously.

"Yes Remus, I am."

"And the children – how are they?"

"Wearing their mother out," Lisa said wearily. "I put them in the after-school playgroup a while ago, just before I left Merrill's. Selena is actually sleeping through the night now thank goodness."

"Is she? How is she handling being apart from you?"

"Oh she handles that well enough now. It's her father that she…"

Lisa's voice trailed off. She hadn't meant to throw it up in Remus' face that Selena adored the only father she really knew – _Severus_. Remus stood up and walked over to the one window in his little room. It looked out onto the back of the property, but the view was somewhat obscured by the Linton residence adjacent to the country house hotel.

"_I'm her father, Lisa! I'm her father and she doesn't even know me!"_

"She's only four years old, Remus. Selena doesn't understand any of this! She calls Severus Daddy just like she calls you Daddy when she sees you. She doesn't understand that Sebastian is her half-brother…she's too young to even care! Even Sebastian calls you Daddy too – he doesn't like being left out. Severus doesn't like it when Seb does that, but at least he understands why it's happening…"

"Selena calls me _Daddy Remus _– there is a difference, Lisa! There is a HUGE difference in how she regards me versus…_him_!"

"What do you expect me to do, Remus? You annulled our marriage – remember? All on the say-so of the Great Albus Dumbledore! Don't blame me for how things are with our daughter, I'm doing the best I can under the circumstances!"

"And of all people – you just had to go back to him…!"

"I don't want to argue with you, Remus. I really don't. And I didn't come here to discuss my husband with you!"

"Well – your parents don't seem too happy about the way things are!"

"Remus – if you and I were together now my life wouldn't be any different, in fact it would be even more complicated. Even you always tell me that! Severus does the best he can for me and the children. And he's not afraid to go against your beloved Headmaster's dictates for the sake of his own happiness! I don't know what my parents are on about, seeing you the way they did. All they care about is money and privilege – you of all people know what they are like. I don't even know why you bothered with them – especially after what happened the last time I took you to see them…they treat you like garbage and yet you go back for more?!"

"They can't think too much of his money and the privileges it affords you if they saw fit to talk to the likes of me!"

"You're right about that Remus; they don't like either of you! So don't take their attention to be anything other than their latest attempt to make me feel like crap compared to my sister and brother and remind me what a disappointment I am…even if that means using you to do it. They couldn't wait to tell me how you still don't have a job and how poor you look. Not a week goes by without them reminding me what a failure I am and how I have brought the family into disrepute with how I live my life."

"Your parents at least tolerated me – sort of…"

"Nothing's changed there then. Still, you're lucky if they managed to do that. They don't tolerate me and I'm their flesh and blood…and they don't tolerate their grandchildren either. If you are here to support them then save it – I will not subject my babies to their hatefulness!"

Lisa tried to keep a tight lid on her emotions and found to her dismay that her eyes were welling up with tears.

"I'm sorry," Remus said gently as he sat down beside her and pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take out my frustrations on you…and I didn't realise that it had gotten so bad…"

"I'm trying, Remus. I'm trying so hard to do the right thing with Selena. I even tried to explain to her how she is named after your mother. I want her to understand who you are and who she is. She's just a baby…she honestly just doesn't know any better…"

"He…he treats her well? He doesn't treat her differently than Sebastian?"

Lisa sniffed and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"He loves her, Remus. He loves them both equally, but she's his Princess and he spoils her – like many fathers do their daughters…although it's not something I can relate to... This hasn't been easy for either of us. But Severus is really good with her…all things considered."

"Well – it must be a lot easier for him since she isn't a lycanthrope like her father…" Remus said bitterly.

Lisa jumped off the bed.

"That is not fair and you know it! Severus loved her long before we knew for sure that she hadn't inherited your affliction. He did everything he could to prepare us both to have to live with caring for a werewolf child. We were even going to move… He was the one who sorted out those tests at your St. Mungo's the last time he was home and then did whatever it took so no one in your world would ever find out about her! I know the premium that this Voldemort has set for werewolf children now; even the ones like Selena!"

Remus looked at her in shock.

"What?!"

His ex-wife looked at him incredulously.

"Remus, what planet are you living on? Do you think I haven't known everything about what's going on in that world of yours with this metaphysical terrorist you people created? Severus doesn't keep any secrets from me! He never has done! As far as he is concerned what I don't know could be even more dangerous to me and our children that what I do know! Especially with these latest experiments of this…Dark Lord. You have so many people around you and all he has is me to talk to. I guess this is something you will be hearing from him when he gives his next report…"

"He never ceases to amaze me," Remus muttered incredulously.

"Yes, Severus is amazing! He's taken on a child that isn't his fathered by a man who bears part of the blame for the man he became and the mistakes that he's made in the process!"

"What…what are you talking about?"

'_She can't possibly know about all that,' _Remus thought to himself. _'Surely he hasn't told her about that…'_

"He showed me, Remus, in this…thing…" said Lisa. "He showed me what it was like for him when he was a student. He couldn't talk about it, but he could show me. He took me there…and showed me _everything_!"

Remus was nothing less than gobsmacked at this revelation. Severus Snape used a Pensieve to show Lisa his past?!

"Unlike you – my husband has never lied to me, not even by omission, about who he is and what he's done. After all – it was him that had to tell me you were a werewolf! Or have you conveniently forgotten that along with just what arrogant bullies your dearly departed friends were! I cant believe you could be friends with such arseholes!"

"Now wait just a minute…"

"No…you wait just a minute Remus! All these years I listened to your tales about James this and Sirius that! You've got them down for sainthood! But I finally saw it with my own eyes – I experienced it! That thing….that Pens…whatever it's called…we both know that it doesn't lie! It shows things EXACTLY as they happened! You sat by all those years and let them HUMILIATE Severus and you even talked bad about him and laughed along sometimes yourself even when you had the authority as a Hogwarts Prefect to do something about it! Have you ever tried talking to Severus? No. Have you ever even thought of apologizing? No. Calling him _Snivellus_ and even sitting by when that Black person was out of that wizard prison and still humiliating him at those Order meetings!

So just stop it with making Severus look like the bad guy all the time! Consider yourself grateful that he is trying to do the right thing with you and Selena. For once in your life give him some credit for the good man that he is! Severus is making enormous sacrifices for you people and as far as I can tell you all treat him like shit and don't think any better of him no matter what he does for you!"

"And the rest of us aren't?! Lisa, you don't know everything! There are many people make huge sacrifices to bring peace to our world once and for all – not just your precious Severus!"

"Oh is that right?! _When was the last time any of you had to face this Voldemort and his inner circle day in and day out hmm?_ _When was the last time that this Dark Lord subjected you to loyalty tests…tests that almost killed you eh?_ _When was the last time you had to be a part of Voldemort's atrocities and his celebrations and do everything you could to keep well out of it yet still appear that you were a loyal_ _servant_, huh Remus?!"

Remus was silent.

"Right. Thought so…" said Lisa as she grabbed her coat from the bed. "And I have yet to hear of anyone one else has had to deny their wife or husband and children! Funny how your beloved Headmaster isn't willing to lift a finger to accommodate a Muggle wife – even though your Dark Lord is targeting us even more now! Dumbledore could have made all the difference in the world to us – he still could!"

"Wait, Lisa…please. Let's calm down. We both…have said some things and it's gotten out of hand…"

"No…it hasn't gotten out of hand, Remus. I said what has needed to be said! Nobody has ever stood up for Severus with any of you! Oh yes, your Dumbledore got him out of that wizarding prison away from those Dementor creatures all those years ago…but it's put Severus in his debt. We both know that the Headmaster isn't done collecting on that debt…and Severus will do whatever it takes to get that debt paid – while the rest of you sit around hating and disrespecting him…and bloody well questioning everything he does even though it's saving your arses!"

Remus laughed ruefully.

"You certainly have the measure of Albus better than I thought…"

"_Albus_…even Severus doesn't have that privilege…"

"No; I rather suppose he doesn't…then again he was not a member of the Order the first time around. He conveniently saw the light at the height of Voldemort's power."

"I pay attention, Remus. To what you both say as much as what you both don't. And like I said; Severus has always been very honest with me – even when we thought it was over for us. And as far as you Headmaster is concerned: he may be on the side of the light but that doesn't mean he isn't above manipulating things to get his own way. No doubt he feels it's justified…even though it's not him that pays the price. The fact that Severus 'saw the light' isn't good enough for any of you. Even when he's got one foot in the grave and another on a banana peel you all will be slagging him off…"

"_Why Lisa…why did you take him back? Why did you marry Severus?"_

"I told you before. I did it because I love him, Remus! I always have and he loves me too! He was willing to defy Dumbledore to have me in his life! Severus made a mistake letting him break us up the first time – and he's paid for that. We all have paid for your Headmaster's interference and dictates! But Dumbledore has his family! He's got his relationship right there at the school with that McGonagall woman and their children are close by in in that village! He's a hypocrite and I don't want to hear all that malarkey about security! He plays a real-life game of your wizard's chess and all of you are his pawns. God help anyone that gets caught up in any of it. And I include myself and my babies in that. I don't care about me as much but neither of them should have to live in the shadows as they are! Dumbledore could make things a lot easier than he has done!"

Lisa pulled out the package from her bag and tossed it on the bed.

"What's that?" asked Remus quizzically

"Something Severus suggested I bring to you the next time I saw you…for you and your parents…"

She put on her coat and picked up her bag.

"We can't leave it like this…" said Remus.

"For now…we need to Remus. This…_talk_…was a long time coming. But I need to get home. I have to make the most of the quiet time I have while the kids are at school. Just so that you know…Severus suggested that you come by the house – he doesn't think it's safe to meet you out in the open anymore with Selena. She's got that Moony look that anyone can pick up on if they see all of us together. We can talk about it tomorrow if you want…the kids have the next few days off. Spend the day with us if you are available…"

Remus took a deep breath. He hated not having the control he wanted in this situation. But at least he was getting proper visitation with his daughter. And Snape did have a point. They couldn't take the chance they Remus would be seen with his daughter and that the connection would be made between he and Selena. After all, she did actually look like both he and Lisa, her amber eyes notwithstanding.

Remus' mother always said that there was a certain Look to the Lupins. Remus had it…and so did his daughter. Selena was very fortunate that her mother had amber eyes not too far off from his own. As far as anyone seeing her with her Muggle mother was concerned, she was just an ordinary Muggle girl.

"Fine…I will ring you in the morning," Remus said standing and showing Lisa to the door. "I agree with Severus, actually. He makes a valid point…"

He pulled her into his arms, gave her a hug and then kissed her. It was not so much a hug, but holding her. For a moment it seemed almost as if she was responding to his intimacies.

Lisa pulled back from him, and took several steps back.

"Don't," she murmured as she looked away from his penetrating stare. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves. "I'm always up early – you can ring me anytime after 6:30, ok?"

Lisa opened the door herself and made her way down the stairs.

Remus looked down until she disappeared from view. What he still wanted was what Severus Snape had – a life that included the woman he loved and her children. He thought about that last kiss and his ex's reaction.

No matter what Lisa said, or what she thought she felt, in his opinion there was still that unbreakable something between them.

**XxxOOOxxX**

The next day Lisa still managed to get up around 5:30 even though she hadn't set the alarm. She checked on the children before going downstairs. Both were still fast asleep. As much as she loved her babies, there was something to be said for having some much needed peace and quiet.

She went through her usual ritual of making a tall cappuchino and checking her email. There was nothing like an unhealthy dose of caffeine to wake her up.

"_Mum and Dad – I don't need your BS even in e-mail – delete; Joyce (FROM WORK) – backstabbing cow – delete ; Christian – worrywort (Lisa made a note on a pad to call him later if she had the chance); Merrill's – sort out your own problems I'm done – delete," _she muttered to herself as tended to be the case when previewing email.

Lisa cycled through the rest and was in the process of deleting a load of spam when her mobile rang. She checked the identifier and once again it said _'Anonymous'_ and had an Avon Valley phone code. Even though it couldn't be anyone else but Remus, she wasn't going to assume it was him. Better to be safe than sorry. Severus had trained her well.

"Hello," she asked cautiously.

"_Hi, it's me…" came a familiar hoarse voice._

"Hello M_e_…"

Remus chuckled at his end. Lisa's response was a relic from when they were together. It was also a sign that she wasn't upset with him despite their disagreement the day before. His ex-wife had never been one to let things linger. She got things out in the open and then moved on. She was not one to go to bed or wake up angry either. It still pleased him that she had not changed in this regard.

"_Couldn't sleep?"_

"No – I've been up for a while and was just checking through some things…"

"_When can I come over? Whatever is convenient for you."_

"How about now since it's still dark out and you're up? Everything has been sorted so you won't have any problems. You can have some breakky when you get here."

"_Ooohhhh your famous Cinnamon French Toast? Hash Browns? Fried Apples? Sausages? Maple Syrup too?"_

Lisa laughed. Remus was still addicted to her cooking.

"One of these days I might actually manage to fatten you up. Lucky for you the larder's full…"

"_See you in ten minutes!"_

"Bye – see you then…"

Lisa disconnected the call and laughed in spite of herself. Some things between her and her ex-husband would never change, not least of which was her accommodation of his appetite when he was feeling well.

**XxxOOOxxX**

Lisa had just put the kettle on for tea and was in the middle of slicing apples when her watch starting vibrating. Severus had organised an elaborate wizarding security system for the house. Along with wards and other spells he had implemented a complex Dark variation of the Fidelus Charm. Only if Lisa allowed it would anyone be able to find and access the property. No one in her family knew where she lived and even the post was delivered to a Post Office Box in Bradford-Upon-Avon.

Once Severus had organised the security and was confident Lisa was comfortable with it, then he synchronised it with the watch he'd given her during one of his visits home. It not only let her know that someone wanted access to the property, but whom.

Lisa looked down at her watch and small letters began to crawl across the middle of it.

'_Remus Lupin'_

She ran to the back gate and then stood.

'_Remus Lupin – I bid you to enter,'_ she thought to herself.

Remus was on the other side of where he thought the gate was staring in the darkness at woodland in front of him. Had he blinked he would have missed his ex popping out of the landscape. All of a sudden Lisa was standing there ushering him through nothingness.

"Bloody hell, it's cold out here…" she said linking an arm with his after she locked and secured the gate.

'_Remus Lupin – I bid you to see as I do,'_ she thought to herself.

After a brief moment Remus could now see the house in the misty darkness of the morning. It was darkened with the exception of a few lights. Lisa took him through the little wet room where they hung up his old Muggle tweed coat. They skirted the children's toys scattered on the conservatory floor and went into the large eat-in kitchen.

"You've done some re-decorating," he said looking around the new modern beech and glass kitchen.

'_Bet it cost a small fortune too,'_ he thought to himself.

"Yep – finally had the time to do it so thought why not? The payout from the job more than covered it. Want a cuppa?"

Lisa knew that Remus was no doubt thinking of the cost. It was something he couldn't afford when they lived together in his little cottage near his parent's place in Devon. Anything that they needed or which needed to be done, Lisa had always paid for out of her salary. They'd had no end of conflicts over money. Remus was a proud man and it never sat well with him that the woman he was supposed to have been taking care of was instead taking care of him. But Lisa never cared about the usual social conventions. She'd accepted Remus and his problems. As far as she was concerned his lack of money was the least of their worries back then.

"Oh yes please," said Remus as he took a seat at the table.

Lisa fixed him a large mug of tea and returned her attention to cooking. She was always rather quick with preparation and they talked about Selena's progress in school as she began frying the apples in butter, cinnamon, vanilla and a dash of nutmeg and brown sugar. She had moved on to the hash browns where there was a little noise in the doorway.

"Mummy I want a drink…" yawned Sebastian. He stood with his black hair sticking up all over his head and dragging his oversized Paddington Bear behind him.

He rubbed his eyes and then spotted Remus smiling at him.

"DADDY REMUS!"

Paddington was forgotten about as Sebastian ran across the room and hurled himself onto the werewolf's lap. He threw his little arms around him and gave Remus a big hug. Remus was nothing less than thrilled and gave him a big hug back.

'_He looks more and more like Severus every time I see him,'_ he thought fleetingly to himself.

"Have you been a good boy?"

"Uh huh!"

Lisa handed Sebastian a cup of instant cocoa in his favourite Spongebob Squarepants mug. He took a dainty sip and then handed it to Remus who placed it on the table.

"Looking after your sister in playgroup?"

"Uh huh! We had show-and-tell and Sel was a fairy again!"

Sebastian's drink was forgotten about as he began chattering away about school and playgroup while he played with the buttons on Remus' cardigan and explored his pockets. It was his favourite pastime whenever he saw his 'other Daddy' who could always be counted on for some nice chocolate.

"Seb – you know it's not time for you to be up yet…."

"Mummy Noooo," Sebastian moaned. "I wanna stay here with you and Daddy Remus…"

He fell into a sulk and there was no mistaking that he was definitely Severus Snape's son.

"Oooo alright then," Lisa sighed indulgently. "Why don't you get your presents for Remus then hmmm…"

"YAY!"

Sebastian jumped down and ran into the conservatory.

"I've got presents?" Remus asked incredulously.

"Made especially for you, Remus…"

Sebastian ran back in the room with a big wrinkled piece of art paper with bright swirls of crayon and several multi-coloured blobs of Play-Doh.

"Look what I made Daddy Remus!" he squealed.

"I see you are quite the artist young man!" Remus said admiringly as Sebastian thrust everything at him.

Sebastian was in the middle of telling a long tale about his blobs (they were all Remus, apparently) when there was a bump and a loud wail from the hallway.

"Muuuuuummmmmmmyyyyyyyyy!"

"Oh my god, Selena!"

Lisa turned off the hob and raced into the hallway with Remus following behind holding Sebastian in his arms.

Their daughter was sprawled at the bottom of the steps. Lisa had a quick look – from the looks of things Selena tripped over a loose bit of carpet on the bottom step. Luckily she hadn't fallen very far. Her crying filled the house and set Sebastian off because he couldn't understand what was wrong with his sister. Both of them were very adept at undoing the security gates. Lisa couldn't have avoided this no matter how hard she tried.

"It's ok, baby. Mummy's here…" She whispered soothingly as she picked Selena up and carried her to the kitchen. "Everything will be all right, shhhhhhh."

Remus was trying his best to calm Sebastian down but the little tyke wasn't having it while his sister was still upset. Selena was still crying and her face was bright red from the effort. Lisa was attempting to get some ice from the freezer as she held on to her wailing child.

"Here, let me…" whispered Remus as he took his daughter into his arms and handed Sebastian over to his mother.

Selena had a little bump coming out on her forehead. Without thinking Remus pulled out his wand.

"_Caput Sanus!"_ he said aiming his wand at her head.

The bump disappeared and Selena stopped crying. The pain was gone too. Sebastian stopped crying mid-scream, fascinated by Remus' trick.

"YAY! Do it again Daddy Remus!" he squealed.

"_HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!" _

Everyone in the room jumped and Selena and Sebastian started crying again.

It was Severus with a face that could sour milk.

And there was no mistaking the Potions Master's anger at seeing Remus Lupin using magic in front of his children, even if he had a very good reason for doing so.


	3. Lighning Crashes

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers. **

**AU, OOC: Why does Snape never eat at Order of the Phoenix Headquarters? What is the truth behind the animosity between he and Lupin? What does Voldemort have in store this time for the wizarding world...and Snape? Read on…**

**AUTHORS NOTES: IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR CANON AND SUCH CHARACTERISATIONS YOU DEFINITELY WILL NOT FIND THEM HERE.**

**Bittersweet Symphony**

**by NativeMoon**

**Chapter 3: Lightning Crashes**

"_Daaaaaaaaadddddddyyyyyyyyyy"_ Selena wailed as she reached out her little arms to Severus.

The Potions Master didn't stop to think how Lupin must be feeling. He held his arms out to her and she twisted and kicked herself down from Remus' embrace and ran to the only man she understood to be her father. Sebastian did likewise with his mother and ran over to his father. Severus scooped his children into his arms and gave them the cuddles they wanted.

Lisa was astute enough to realise that no matter how reasonable Severus tried to be about things, he was still insecure about Remus and especially about the werewolf being in his house. Were things different in the wizarding world Remus most definitely would have to make due with park visits. She'd responded to Severus' email with a somewhat cryptic one of her own when she got home from seeing her ex the day before. He definitely understood it since he'd managed to be here. She should have realised that her husband would do everything in his power to be here when his old enemy was.

"You two should still be in bed; the sun isn't even up yet," said Severus.

The crying abruptly stopped and instead he got moaning and complaining.

"No arguments, back to bed the both of you," Severus said firmly as he lifted both of them up.

Lisa handed Sebastian his Paddington bear; he wasn't yet able to sleep without his beloved friend.

"We will have a little…_chat_…when I return," Severus said trying to keep his voice as even as possible as he looked at the crestfallen werewolf.

There was silence in the kitchen as Severus left the room to take the children back upstairs and put them to bed.

"_Well,"_ Remus said as he tried to clear his throat. It didn't work and instead some tears rolled down his cheeks.

Lisa handed him some tissues and squatted down in front of him taking his hands in hers.

"I told you Remus; she's just a baby. I'm sorry – but I'd rather for her to adore Severus than hate him. And I thank my lucky stars every day that he has been able to accept her and love her as much as he does his own son," she said gently. "Just give her a few years and she'll get it, she will…"

"I know…," Remus sniffed. "I know…you're right. But…it…"

He took a deep breath. It was no use.

"It hurts so much, Lisa. It just hurts so much…_and it's all my fault_..."

He broke down crying and Lisa pulled him up and walked him into the sitting room. Once there she turned on a couple of lamps and held him as they sat on the sofa.

Severus came back down the stairs once the children were asleep and he was certain Selena was OK. He saw the lights in the sitting room and started to say something but was stopped short at the sight of Lupin's obvious distress and heartbreak. Lisa looked up at him from her vantage point and shook her head _'no' _and jerked her head towards the kitchen.

Her husband wasn't going to argue. Snape went into the kitchen and made himself a cup of tea after dispensing with his traveling cloak. He sat down with the morning edition of the Daily Prophet and began to read. After a few minutes Lisa came in with red eyes and started to make herself another cappuccino.

"He's in the bathroom…" she said tearfully.

There was a sniff and Severus put his paper down.

"_Lisa,"_ he said softly as he stood up.

Lisa turned her tear-streaked face towards him and then threw herself into her husband's arms. She broke down in hear-wrenching heaving sobs.

"I don't know what to do, Severus," she sobbed. "He's hurting and I don't know what to do. I can't make Selena see him the same way she does you…"

The Potions Master didn't know what to say. Were the shoe on the other foot he wouldn't be reasonable about it. He would be doing everything he could make sure his child knew him as its father. Even if that meant a custody battle – if the circumstances permitted such a thing.

Even though he'd had the thought, nothing prepared him for what came next.

"_What if he wants to take her, Severus? What if he wants to take Selena now that he's back with his parents?"_

Severus took a deep breath.

"Then he would be making a grave mistake. Lupin is too well-known in our world as a werewolf even without his child. He would be condemning her to a fate worse than death."

"_**What?!"**_

"The Dark Lord – he has plans for an all out war within the wizarding world this time around. I told you, the werewolves, especially werewolf children, are a key element of his strategy and Lupin is within his sights now. I have done everything I could to question the strategy without compromising myself. It is just one part of the report I have to give to the Order. That's why I came home this morning."

"_No, Severus NO! Not Selena! Not my baby!" _

"Listen to me, Lisa, _**listen**_!" Severus said holding her tight and trying to calm her down. "No one knows about you or our children! No one knows anything about Lupin fathering a child! They only way they will know is if he gives the game away! I am here to see him personally as much as I am you. I need to prepare him…and you. It is just not possible to speak to him as plainly as I need to at headquarters. There has always been too much enmity between us; that is not a secret. It would be highly suspicious were we to suddenly be agreeable with each other so as to speak privately. It was just as well you that let me know that he was going to be here. Everything will be alright; but I need you both to trust me and do as I tell you!"

"How can you be sure, Severus? How can you be so sure everything will be alright?"

The question didn't come from Lisa. It was Remus. He'd been just outside the kitchen door when he overheard their conversation.

Severus looked over at his long-time enemy, the man who was a constant reminder that his beloved Princess was not his biological daughter. Lisa returned her attention to preparing breakfast. When the stressful realities of life caught between two worlds became too much she needed to keep busy. It was high time Severus and Remus had it out as far as she was concerned. She knew they would keep their animosity in check because of the children. And she wasn't about to allow them to hex each other into oblivion.

"We have the same interests, Lupin," Severus replied sharply. "I know that Selena is not of my flesh and blood but she might as well be. I love her just as much as I love Sebastian. There is nothing I wouldn't do for her! And I will do whatever it takes to ensure that she makes it through this war alive and well! Whatever conflicts we have had must be put aside for her sake. They must be put aside for all our sakes. But I tell you this now: I love my wife and I love my children – yes, my children! Both of them! I don't make any distinctions between them! Woe betides anyone who tries to take them away from me or separate us. If that includes you then so be it! I made that mistake once at the behest of the Headmaster; it will not be made again!"

"I am just supposed to give up? Just like that? Because you say so?" Lupin said in an even voice. "You really don't know me, do you Severus!"

"No – I don't! _You don't know me either! And whose fault is that Lupin?_" said Severus. "As I said before, we need to have a chat."

"How do I know you are telling the truth? How do any of us know that you have really changed? You've given your excuse to the Headmaster and for whatever reason he has chosen to believe you. Some of us aren't so easily influenced…or convinced. How do we know that you aren't doing all that you can against the side of the light? This could be just a clever bit of fabrication on your part after all."

Severus laughed.

"If I had that much power over Albus Dumbledore then I would dispense with the cloak-and-dagger shenanigans on his behalf and put my efforts into destroying the Dark Lord once and for all since he does not see fit to do so himself!"

"That's quite a bold statement to make – and more than a bit disparaging of the man you profess to be loyal to!"

Severus rolled up the sleeve over his left forearm and thrust the Dark Mark in front of the werewolf's face.

"As you seem to think the Headmaster's mind is so addled such that he is influenced by the likes of me then I would propose that you examine your own conjecture," Severus hissed. "And I assure you, Albus Dumbledore knows exactly what I think. I've said what needed to be said to him often enough, for all the good it's done…"

He began to pace back and forth angrily.

"Do you honestly propose that I could take a Muggle wife and sire a son with her and yet have allegiance to the Dark Lord and his beliefs? The Dark Lord is a highly-skilled Legilimens – do you not think I would go out of my way to NOT involve myself in anything that would compromise my life any more than usual?!

What exactly is it do you believe me to be Lupin?! When I joined his ranks was because I believed that all he wanted was to keep Magic out of the domain of Mugglekind. It seemed reasonable enough. After all, that is what the Ministry of Magic purports to do in aligning itself with key Muggle governments around the world, is it not? The Ministry has always been behind the times, as it were, with their methods and archaic brand of protocol. Voldemort wasn't entirely happy with them and offered proposals that seemed reasonable. Of course they were reasonable – he had no intention of ever pursuing any of them!

As with most secret societies, by the time I realised that the Dark Lord and his minions weren't out to raise my profile and get us all into the Order of Merlin it was too late. I had no idea what I was condemning myself to in my desire to know the secrets of his legion! I was damned the moment I listened McNair all those years ago. I thought I was accepted and respected. I looked up to him and he sold me lock, stock and barrel, as Muggles say, to the devil himself!

I didn't find out the truth until I was knee-deep in the destruction and chaos the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters unleashed bit by bit. There were no Death Eaters as such when I first attended his meetings. They did not come into being until just after I joined. Overnight it was announced that that is what we were, and what the Dark Mark on our arms really were!

And this mark…_the Dark Mark_…it binds me to the Dark Lord so long as he has life. No manner of charm, potion or spell has been powerful enough to destroy it! _You don't know anything, Lupin! _You do not know what it is like to live with a sickening reminder that you are a slave to a grave mistake made out of youthful ignorance, anger and a desire to be important driven by years of abuse and bullying! Do you not think that I have tried to free myself?! I have tried again and again to break the dark magic of this tie that binds.

The only way to have any semblance of a life is to see to it that that abomination to humankind is destroyed once and for all! The Headmaster is the only being alive that the Dark Lord fears and if I can free myself by serving the side of the Light then so be it! While the Headmaster still lives we all have a chance! Stop feeling so sorry for yourself Lupin. Your affliction brings with it its own peculiar set of difficulties – but it is not the living death that constitutes my life in the Dark Lord's hadow! Were it up to me I would be free of them BOTH and would be quite content to live out the rest of my days with my wife and children fading into obscurity. I want nothing more than to leave the wizarding world behind! While this atrocity burns my flesh I have no hope of ever being able to have a normal life!"

Lisa reached out discreetly and rubbed the small of Severus' back as she stood behind him but off to the side a bit.

"Many in your world think they are so above us when they are no different in how they judge and condemn, Remus. Just listen at you! From what I can see you wizards are no better than us even when we are at our worst. At the end of the day we are all human. _If Severus was everything you all seemed to be determined to persist in making him out to be then he would be the Dark Lord himself! And I assure you, my husband is anything but that! How can you see him with me and your own daughter and question his integrity and motivation? Look at Sebastian – it was love that created him, not hate! _You and your Order sit around and discuss Severus like he's deaf and dumb…actually let me correct that. They discuss him and you stay quiet…as usual. No matter what he does – I don't understand why it isn't good enough for you people. If that makes me naïve – then so be it.

But I have to believe deep down that if you really believed that about Severus, then you would have taken steps long before now to see to it that he had nothing to do with our daughter. The best thing we can do is listen to Severus and do what he says. I am not risking my babies' lives because of our personal problems. Selena is a baby. This Daddy conflict will resolve itself. I know it's not easy for you with the way things have turned out. I know you are hurting, Remus and no matter what you believe neither of us is taking any pleasure in it. All we have ever done was to try and keep you in her life and make sure she starts to understand who you are. And that's what this is…_a start_…"

"Just remember this Lupin: We are both in this together whether you like it or not. You and I each have a child by the same Muggle woman. _Dumbledore interfered in both our relationships with her and I don't think he would be too happy to find out about my marriage to your ex-wife and our collective offspring. Until I take my last breath I will never understand why he interfered as he did_…nevertheless; it serves both our interests to cooperate with each other."

"Spoken like a true Slytherin," said Remus sharply.

"You would do well to embrace your Slytherin qualities, Lupin. After all we are all some amalgamation of all four houses no matter where we are sorted. Slytherin will keep you alive just as much as Gryffindor…especially in the presence of the Dark Lord."

What wasn't said was that had Remus been as cunning as Severus he could have been the one with Lisa now. It wasn't necessary; they were all thinking the same thing.

**XxxOOOxxX**

Severus set the table with a few flicks of his wand as Lisa arranged all the food in dishes on portable warmers. Once everyone was served the Potions Master wasted no time.

"Tomorrow evening I will be stopping in at headquarters," he said crisply. "I will be handing out a 10-page report. It is the most comprehensive detail I have been able to ascertain as to the Dark Lord's plans."

"It's been quite some time since you've given such comprehensive detail…" said Remus, helping himself to more sausages.

"That is because the Dark Lord is a lot more intelligent about how he deals with his inner circle. He does not speak to more than two at a time and never about the same things. We are rarely in his presence anymore as an entire group. Fortunately his selection process in new recruits is as dire as it's ever been. Most of them talk too much for their own good, particularly after a few Firewhiskeys. The Dark Lord has a grander scheme in mind for himself. The usual human rights violations and genocidal tendencies bore him. _'There is enough of that with those wretched Muggles'_ quote unquote," said Severus matter-of-factly.

"Being a masochistic serial killer _bores_ him?" asked Lisa incredulously.

She hadn't heard her husband use quite those terms before.

"He is using that fabled Slytherin cunning of his intelligently for a change," said Severus. "During the last war he brought too much attention to himself, especially with Muggle authorities. The Ministry will be looking for the usual Voldemort and Death Eater trademarks: the Dark Mark, the Unforgivables, bloodshed and more nonsense like the Muggle-baiting at the Quidditch World Cup a couple of years ago. They are not prepared for what he has planned. As always the Ministry has tunnel vision and it will cost all of us if they do not heed what is in this report."

"Very true. It was everything Minister Parminter could do to keep the key allied governments from interfering during the first war," said Remus. "At one point half the Ministry were working overtime just to keep MI5 from finding out more than they were demanding to know… Even now, they are always trying to infiltrate the wizarding world."

"MI5? British Intelligence – Spooks?" asked Lisa in shock. "Bloody hell!"

"You got it," said Remus.

"It is no different than the usual sorts of things between Muggle governments; but magic is uniquely alluring to all of them regardless of any so-called 'Cooperative Agreements' between our worlds," said Severus. "The Dark Lord was too reckless before. Those were very dark days indeed for Wizard and Muggle alike. For his plans to work he must reign in certain suicidal tendencies. This time his crimes against humanity are thought, by him, to have a purpose and are more expansive in scope."

"And that purpose is?" asked Remus.

"_The complete subjugation of wizarding humankind to so called Dark Creatures – to the point of biologically annihilating humans."_

Lisa dropped her fork on the floor. Another flick of his wand and Severus had procured a clean one from the cutlery drawer.

Even Remus had to stop eating. His fork was loaded with French Toast and he put it down with a shaky hand.

"_Subjugation through Dark Creatures…including werewolves…"_ he said in a faint whisper of his usual hoarse voice.

"That would be correct. Nine-foot tall machines of death with a serious axe to grind for his self-styled Dark Army when fully transformed. None have been so marginalised as your kind have been. And he is most interested in your – _ahh_ – mating tendencies. More than anything he wants to study werewolf children. Those created from receiving the bite as well as those born of a biological werewolf parent."

"And how does Remus fit into all of this, exactly?" asked Lisa. "Aside from having a daughter that no one knows about…"

"When the Headmaster brought him to Hogwarts to teach a few years ago he thought he was doing the right thing…"

"Now see here Severus…" Remus began.

"I am not finished, Lupin!" hissed Severus," As I was saying, the Headmaster thought he was doing the right thing. Giving his old friend and Order member the first real opportunity he'd ever had to earn a living. A noble idea, except that there were clues about your affliction which even that insufferable know-it-all Gryffindor Granger managed to deduce…to hear her boldly boasting these days…"

"And which you yourself managed to let slip _accidentally_ to your house at breakfast the morning after the fiasco in the Shrieking Shack with Sirius and Pettigrew if my memory serves me correctly…" said Remus sharply.

"As I was saying – the Headmaster thought he was doing you a service by handing you the DADA Professorship. However, no thanks to your superlative efforts in the role, far exceeding your predecessors and successors, your talents have been brought to the attention of the Dark Lord in the presence of none other than Lucius Malfoy! He has a job to do after all, as do I, and couldn't cover up for you this time! It would have been brought even more suspicion than he needs at the moment. So far the both of us are lucky we are still alive to be useful to the Headmaster!"

"_Malfoy?!"_ Remus snorted. "Draco Malfoy went out of his way to ridicule me and undermine my authority at every opportunity! Not that you, his Head of House, ever noticed. Since when does Lucius Malfoy serve the Headmaster?"

"It was never done in my presence, Lupin. Nor was it ever brought to my attention. With regards to Lucius, you missed a number of meetings no thanks to your exploits in the colonies. Lucius had a change of heart, as it were, sitting all those months rotting away in Azkaban in the care of the Dementors. Suffice it to say that he too went to the Headmaster. And, as with me, the Headmaster believes him. Lucius has given him incontrovertible proof that he is on our side. He was even questioned using veritaserum. If that is good enough for The Greatest Wizard of the Age then it will have to be enough for you. Lucius and the Headmaster will be in attendance at tomorrow night's meeting. I expect you to be shocked and outraged and to exhibit the normal sorts of belligerent behaviour as would be expected from one completely ignorant of these matters.

Be that as it may, the Dark Lord apparently sent an emissary to the werewolf colonies. One who appears to have met with a rather – _ahh_ – gruesome demise…"

"Lunch?"

"Dinner, according to the report," hissed Severus. "The fool made the fatal mistake of claiming to be on especially good terms with some of the Alpha leadership. One of the last messages to be Owled to Lucius was that he'd struck up a friendship with one Remus J. Lupin, former DADA Professor at Hogwarts! This was dated just over three months ago if my memory serves me correctly! Unfortunately the message was delivered while he was attending to the Dark Lord at the fortress! Don't you just love the reliable security of wizarding communications?!"

The blood visibly drained from Remus' face and he went as white as a sheet.

"You were foolish enough to use your real name, Lupin! You don't even do that when you meet my wife for what innkeepers assume is an early morning shag – _Mr. Perry_!"

"The Headmaster…he said it wasn't necessary to use an alias. He said my reputation as a DADA expert and a personal friend of his was invaluable for this mission…" Remus said in a dazed rush. "I was meeting with contacts of his…personal contacts he said…"

"And so it is, Lupin. But at the end of the day you have only lowered yourself into fraternising with your kind because the Headmaster persuaded you. The easiest thing you could have done_ years ago_ would have been to associate with your own kind as much as you do with ordinary wizards; then you would know EXACTLY whom you are dealing with. _You don't know any of these people you have been trying to persuade to join the Headmaster's ranks. He is relying on information from that godforsaken Mundungus Fletcher! Fletcher's information about the colonies is as reliable as those dodgy cauldrons he has stored at headquarters. _

Fortunately for you, Voldemort's minion was as thick as five planks and managed to not ascertain that the Wolfsbane Potion isn't available in the colonies. He was there during his first and last full moon. Holmes apparently never found out about the Order or the work you are doing for Dumbledore. Interestingly enough, as far as he was concerned you seemed to be the voice of reason that had an unusual amount of influence in the colonies."

"So – what you are saying is that the Dark Lord thinks that Remus is the one who can deliver the werewolves to him because this moron Holmes said he's pulling the strings in these colonies…" said Lisa.

"Exactly, my dear wife," said Severus. "According to Holmes, Lupin here is almost a Messianic figurehead to them. You are right up there with Harry Potter now Lupin!"

"In other words, he lied to save his arse and ended up losing his life anyway," said Remus heatedly. "And thanks to his…_embellishments_…I have been brought to You-Know-Who's attention – _Again_. Holmes; I couldn't stand him, always meddling in things that weren't his business…now I know why!"

"Precisely…"

"What do you mean – _again_, Remus?" asked Lisa quizzically.

"Tsk, Tsk, Tsk; Lupin your – _ahh_ – modesty never ceases to amaze me," said Severus silkily.

"What are talking about, Severus? Lisa asked tensely.

She knew that what her husband was saying was that once again she had been lied to by omission.

"Lupin here is a legend of sorts – _oh pardon me_, he should be. I suppose he isn't because he doesn't have a lightning bolt for a scar and can't be famous for something that involves direct action! Along with the dear departed Potters he is the only other soul besides the Headmaster to have faced the Dark Lord during the last war. What was it – three times Lupin?"

"You know exactly how many times it was, Severus…" Remus said sharply.

"He does – but I don't!" hissed Lisa. "Why do you do this, Remus! Why can't you just for once tell me the truth. Or better yet; stop conveniently not bothering to mention certain details which have a direct bearing on our daughter's life!"

"Now – calm down Lisa I can explain!"

"I don't want to hear any more excuses, Remus, please! Selena is actually safer because she doesn't understand yet that you are her father from the sounds of things! And here she and Sebastian are running around screaming 'Daddy Remus' this and 'Daddy Remus' that! I'm not even going to apologise: your ego will just have to be bruised until this Dark Lord business is over and done with. I will not have her end up as some lab experiment!"

Lisa stood up so hard and fast that her chair fell over. She burst into tears and ran from the room up the stairs. Without a doubt, Severus knew that she'd gone into Selena's room.

"What is she talking about Severus? Why is Lisa making these references to werewolf children and experiments?"

"If the Dark Lord cannot convince you to deliver the colonies to him he will use the easiest leverage available to him!"

Remus swallowed and blinked.

"No…please….." he rasped.

"The colonies are as organised as they can be, are they not? They have schools do they not? The Dark Lord will lead assaults against them. I guarantee you it will not take much effort to convince the parents of those children to join his ranks or pay the price for their defiance! THAT WILL INCLUDE YOU LUPIN!"

"We have to do something…"

"Yes, Lupin we have to do something! An inordinate amount of something! We have to keep you from being delivered to the Dark Lord and keep him from using the colonies, and especially the children to _'smoke you out' _as Lisa put it when I told her! And Goddess help us all if it is ever discovered that you have a daughter!"

"You mean…"

"Yes..I most certain do mean! You can thank Lucius discreetly tomorrow night for keeping the Dark Lord off your scent as long as he did! Either way Lupin…this is the tip of the proverbial iceberg. It is just one small part of what the Dark Lord has planned. The success of any one of the actions which I will detail tomorrow night would be enough to bring the wizarding world to its knees. We have to stop thinking like the magical people we are and look to Muggle history for our solutions. It's our best chance! The Dark Lord is doing exactly that! Remember – he has to do what he can to get the advantage without tipping his hand to the Muggle and Magical authorities.

The problem is, unbeknownst to him, he is being steered in the wrong direction at every opportunity. As always his arrogance and desire for power exceed his capabilities and desire to do even the most trivial of things for himself. He only manages to draw more narrow-minded simpering fools like that Pettigrew or overconfident bootlickers like McNair – just waiting for the first opportunity to expand their own little empire. However, even the Dark Lord is flawed. It is worth remembering that at the heart of whatever it is that he is there is a human being. It is taking some doing, but I am certain he will make a catastrophic mistake. And when he does we need to be ready to exploit it!"

"Think like Muggles? Be ready to exploit his mistakes? How?"

"Riddle's father was a Muggle. He spent all of his years at Hogwarts returning to a Muggle orphanage after his parents 'died'. He is better equipped to think like a Muggle than anyone in the wizarding world who ever sat through that pathetic excuse of a Muggle Studies class. Think Lupin – who do you know with a Muggle Master's Degree in History, an expansive Library of her own and the time and connections to help us?"

Remus looked at him incredulously.

"_Lisa?"_

Severus nodded. Just then there were footsteps on the stairs.

Remus laughed as Lisa walked quietly back into the room. But it was more out of shock than anything else.

"You know – you really had me going for a second there. I almost believed you! You had me going until the bit about Lucius Malfoy. And Lisa...that's too pathetic even for you Snape!" Remus began heatedly.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

She pulled her duplicate mobile out of her jeans pocket.

"Hello? Hey, how are you? Fine. No, I promise. Yes, He's right here hold on..."

Lisa put her hand over the microphone.

"_Severus, it's for you – Lucius. He sounds upset…"_

Severus gave his wife a look, took the mobile and walked into the sitting room.

Remus sat at the kitchen table. Numb from shock. Since Severus was not lying about Malfoy, he couldn't not have been lying about anything else either. And now Malfoy was phoning Lisa, looking for Severus and was apparently upset. Lisa sat down and took Remus' hand.

"Whatever it is – we'll face it Remus. I don't care if have to die in order to save my children. But whatever it is that I have to do, I will face it…along with the rest of you…"

They heard footsteps and Severus came into the room. He was paler than usual.

"Severus – what's wrong?" Lisa asked as she stood up.

Severus didn't say a word. He just shook his head 'no' and blinked his eyes.

"_Honey?"_

Severus pulled his wife into his arms and buried his face in her shoulder.

"Severus, tell us what's wrong," Remus said softly.

Lisa led her husband back to the table and sat him down. She went over to a cupboard and reached all the way in the back and pulled out a bottle of Firewhiskey. She poured a shot Severus and sat it in front of him.

He gulped it down and then blinked after letting out a deep breath

"It's…It's Grimmauld Place," he whispered. "That…_imbecile_…_that dunderhead_….that wretched _Fletcher._ He was in the Hogshead shooting off his mouth, drunk as a skunk…"

Remus stood up and paced the room.

"No…please Goddess no…"

"He shot off his mouth and apparently some new recruits of the Dark Lords were there. They of course took their leave and went straight to You-Know-Who. Didn't even go through Lucius or myself as they should have done. Too anxious to get in the Dark Lord's good books. Our connection at the tavern filed a report as did Lucius the moment he found out…but it was too late. Those imbeciles took it upon themselves to gather together their own detail and…."

"Who…Severus," whispered Remus. "Who?"

"Dung Fletcher, Jonathan Bones, Professor Grubby-Plank and both Creevey brothers. There is one body that can't be identified just yet…but it's believed to be…Granger…"

"Grimmauld Place…is no more?" rasped Remus after a few minutes silence.

"Correct," came Severus's quiet whisper.

Lisa took a deep breath.

"Right. Then there is only one thing to do…" she said firmly. "You don't have time to waste, Severus. They will be expecting the Order to be really disorganised and thrown by this. 'Collateral Damage' is expected but of course they don't care about the human element. We do and that can be our downfall as much as it is the right way to be. You two need to get a hold of everyone and get them here as soon as possible. That includes your Headmaster. You all can't go to Hogwarts for obvious reasons. From now on people get used to doing things the Muggle way – including email and mobile phones. This will be the new headquarters. All things considered, having some company is not such a bad idea…"

Severus looked at his wife. He was nothing less than impressed with her strength. In this moment she reaffirmed to him and proved to Remus that involving her was no joke. Lisa was everything he thought she would be and more. It was good to have her love and comfort at a time like this.

"He will have to know who I am and that means knowing about the kids too," Lisa continued. "All things considered he should know. If he is the only one the Dark Lord doesn't fear then he needs to know about what else had been going on under his nose. He will be disappointed in you two and god knows what he will think of me, but it has to be done. Maybe I should be quaking in my shoes. I'm not – yet."

Severus took a deep breath. Remus grabbed Lisa's Filofax from a counter and started making a list of the people they needed to get the word out to. A wave of his wand and he took a duplicate while handing Severus the original.

"The sooner we get everyone here the better," said Severus. "It is fairly obvious that You-Know-Who has loose cannons on board. That is no good for him, but very good for us. Dumbledore made a wrong choice in Fletcher for the right reasons. He can do better. He won't like hearing that but he can do better. Lupin, stay here while I…"

"No, Severus. All things considered you should be here with Lisa and the children. I will round up everyone I can and get back here in a few hours," said Remus. "I will adopt a glamour to be safe. It's supposed to be chucking it down with rain later – excellent cover…"

"Agreed," said Severus "I think it's best to get the Headmaster, Minerva and Molly here first, as soon as you can. Everyone else can take the backroads to get here. No more than two or three at a time, stagger arrivals. No tramping through the village under any circumstances. I will do a bit of work and set the house back even further…same positioning though…"

"You better borrow some of Severus' Muggle clothes Remus. Fortunately it's more like winter so you can wear a hat too…"

"I've got the potion you need – it's good for 24 hours. More time than you need…"

Severus flicked his wand and handed over a fresh set of clothes including an overcoat, pants, shirt, scarf and hat. Lupin took the potion, changed quickly and made his exit.

The personal conflicts between the serpent and the werewolf were no longer important. Though it didn't seem like it, this was the quiet before the storm. If they did not stand together, there was no doubt that it would nothing less than disastrous for all of them, not the least of which were their children.


	4. The Reckoning, Part 1

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers. **

**AU, OOC: Why does Snape never eat at Order of the Phoenix Headquarters? What is the truth behind the animosity between he and Lupin? What does Voldemort have in store this time for the wizarding world...and Snape? Read on…**

**AUTHORS NOTES: IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR CANON AND SUCH CHARACTERISATIONS YOU DEFINITELY WILL NOT FIND THEM HERE.**

**Bittersweet Symphony**

**by NativeMoon**

**Chapter 4: The Reckoning Part I**

_BAM! BAM! BAM!_

"**HOLD ON!** My goodness; you'd think the world was coming to an end!" shrieked Molly Weasley as she opened her front door.

She squinted, drew her wand and took several steps back at the sight of the stranger on her doorstep.

"It is Molly, more than you know," Lupin croaked in his familiar hoarse voice as he stood shivering in the cold pouring rain.

A quick wave of his wand and the seal of the Order of the Phoenix was revealed.

"A glamour Remus? What's happened? Why on earth did you do that?"

"We don't have much time; grab your things please. I can explain once we get there."

"Get where? I'm not stepping one foot outside this house until you tell me what's going on!"

"It's…headquarters…the old headquarters…"

"Old? Remus…you are not making any sense…"

"Grimmauld Place…it's gone Molly. And not without casualties…"

Remus quickly explained all that he'd been told by Severus.

Mrs. Weasley blinked her eyes and swallowed.

"No parent ever lives their life thinking they will outlive their children. My worst fear has always been that something will happen to my own – after all look at what we survived in the first war. But the Grangers…how will they possibly understand any of this if it turns out that their daughter...?"

She and Remus stood for a moment in silence.

"We have to regroup, Molly. That's why I'm here. Please, get your things."

"I wasn't even aware that there was an alternative arrangement? Albus seemed so sure that this time the Fidelus would be enough…" she said in a daze.

"There wasn't; this was spur-of-the-moment…but it will become clear once we get to where we are going."

"And where exactly is that Remus?"

"The West Country. The Avon Valley to be exact…between Bradford-Upon-Avon and Bath."

"The West Country? What on earth is down there?"

"_Hope…"_

**XxxOOOxxX**

Molly and Remus stood where he knew the gate had been in the old location.

"_Right. What's going on Remus? Why are we out here in the woods?"_

"Just a moment…"

Molly blinked and then found herself following Remus' gaze.

Professor Snape was a few yards away beckoning for them to come.

"I don't understand…?"

"You will, Molly. You will…"

Severus turned sideways in the woods and ushered them through nothingness.

"_Severus? What on earth…"_

Molly never got to finish posing her question. All of a sudden she found herself facing a spacious and very pretty powder blue and cream Regency style house resplendent with Juliet balconies. It was surrounded by woodland and tall hedges and was near a babbling creek. The Potions Master was now securing a gate which hadn't been there a moment ago behind them.

"What…who's house is this?"

"Come inside," Severus said crisply as he turned on his heels and led the way.

Molly was clearly puzzled as they stepped into the little wetroom off the conservatory. She took off her coat and handed it to Remus who seemed to be quite familiar with the house as he opened a cupboard door and hung up their soaking wet things.

She followed Remus through the conservatory being mindful of the toys scattered about. She fleetingly wondered about the children who obviously lived here. Molly walked into the kitchen and found the Potions Master standing there holding the hand of a very attractive young woman she'd never seen before. Whoever she was, she looked exotic with her dark honey skin, amber eyes and long curly hair. She was dressed in a purple skirt and a man's high-collared white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Her shirt was not dissimilar to the one Snape was wearing. She was wearing one of his shirts.

_Snape_. And a woman wearing one of shirts; a woman who he had just pulled into his arms and was holding tightly to.

If she had been told about the sight before her she never would have believed it.

It was a shock to the senses to see Severus Snape, of all people, with a woman and displaying affection – _openly_. But it wasn't mere affection. It was the Potion Master's way of standing strong with his wife in the face of expected negative reaction and giving her his uncompromising support. And it was written all over his face.

Molly failed to hide her shock.

"Welcome to our home," Severus said firmly. "I would like to introduce my wife, Lisa. Lisa, this is Molly Weasley."

Molly gasped and shook her head in disbelief.

"Your…home…and…_your_…_wife_?"

The Potions Master nodded.

"Hello; it's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Weasley," Lisa said calmly as she extended her free hand. "Severus has told me quite a bit about you."

"The pleasure…is…all mine my dear," Molly stuttered incredulously as she shook Lisa's hand and enveloped it in both of hers warmly.

"Where are my manners," Lisa said breathlessly as she let out a deep breath. "Please, have a seat. Would you like a cup of tea? Coffee? Something else?"

There was no doubt in her mind that while Molly Weasley was going to ask a lot of questions, she would be fair. As far as Lisa was concerned she couldn't ask for more than that considering the circumstances. She was definitely one to have on your side and no doubt Remus had thought of that in going to her first. She was operating on her own formidable instincts; no matter what she had no doubt that she was in good hands with Molly Weasley.

"Erm…tea thank you."

"Remus – are you having one?"

"Well – I guess I should have a quick one and then I must be off," said Remus. "So yes, please…"

Professor Snape set the table with a few flicks of his wand and then took a seat. Lisa organised a large kettle of tea, hot scones and muffins along with butter and several pots of marmalade to go with what she had already prepared for Remus' breakfast.

"I'm not being funny," said Molly. "But will someone please tell me what in blazes is going on?"

Just then there was a noise from the hallway.

"Mummy…we…want…a…drink," Sebastian said trying not to grin as he tiptoed in the kitchen batting his eyelashes with Selena close behind him holding his right hand.

The children wanted to play in the conservatory and be near their parents. Asking for a drink was his way to get downstairs and stay down. Lisa smiled as Severus smirked at her. Their son was up to his usual tricks. Both expected nothing less from him. Like his father, Sebastian was not only not always good at doing what he knew he should do, but was more than cunning even at such a tender age.

"A drink eh, Sweetpea?" his mother asked sweetly.

Sebastian nodded and Selena hid behind her brother. She was always shy of strangers and peeped around him to steal looks at the strange woman with the big red hair and crazy clothes.

"What about you, Princess? You want a drink too?" Severus asked quietly.

Selena poked her head from around her brother's shoulder. She blushed and nodded. Lisa looked at Severus and cocked an eyebrow. He tried to suppress a smile as he nodded yes and failed miserably.

"Alright – go in the conservatory," he said with a shake of his dark head.

His son was a cheeky chip off the old Snape block.

"YAY" Sebastian squealed.

He turned his attention to Molly as his mother handed he and his sister small cartons of a juice drink with little straws.

"Hello…I'm Seb…who are you?"

Molly was in shock. There was no mistaking that this little boy had to be Severus' son.

'Bloody hell – the spitting image of him,' she muttered loudly in her booming voice and not realising it as she said it.

"_Kindly mind your language in front of my children,"_ Severus hissed with a dark look.

"_OUR_ children, Severus," Remus said sharply.

"_WHAT?!"_ Molly shrieked as she strained to get a look at Selena who was now running over to her mother with tears in her eyes. "That little girl is…_YOUR_ child, Remus?!"

"Please don't shout Molly – Selena is rather sensitive," said Remus firmly. "And yes, she is my daughter…"

"_Merlin's beard_…I'm sorry but this is just…just…_incredible_…"

"I appreciate that," Remus said with a frown.

Severus stayed quiet and waited for Lisa to return.

"So…you are…the mother of both of them, then…" Molly said looking at Lisa as she stepped back into the room after settling the children down in the conservatory under blankets and turning up the heat. A multitude of thoughts were running through her head.

"Yes – that's right," Lisa said unflinchingly.

She would damned if anyone would cast a value judgment on her or her children and especially in their own home.

"_Merlin's beard…"_

Lisa continued to look at her waiting for the inevitable questions. But Severus wasn't having any of it.

"We became involved after the three of us first met. And for reasons still unknown to me the Headmaster decided that it was in the best interest of _'security'_ for us to part. We already had Sebastian, but Professor Dumbledore was not aware of this. I still continued to see Lisa and my son on those rare occasions where I could make my excuses…although I was in complete disagreement at having been forced apart from them…"

"Lisa and I were close – good friends to each other. I stepped in to help her and then we became involved, moved in together but eloped and got married. When we finally returned from Italy Albus had found out about Lisa from my parents. They didn't realise he didn't know about us. Again the Headmaster intervened and I gave into his…_persuasiveness_…and annulled our marriage. But I didn't know that she was expecting Selena," Remus said softly. "I never would have left her had I known…I didn't want to leave her anyway – I loved her so much, I still do…"

He was obviously filled with remorse, heartbreak and sadness.

"I got pregnant on our honeymoon; how ironic is that?" said Lisa quietly. "And I had no idea I was expecting. I was so sick...I just thought it was some super strain of the flu. I collapsed one night and Severus found me at the flat where I was living after Remus and I split up. I almost died from hemorrhaging – I had no idea that being pregnant by a werewolf as I was put my life at risk. It wouldn't have been a problem if I had been able to go to St. Mungos from the start. Selena almost died even before she could be born. Given the circumstances I couldn't go to a Muggle gynecologist or hospital. And if I had gone to St. Mungos as I should have your Headmaster would have probably found us out. We have all been a lot more worried about him than we probably should be. And my daughter and I paid a high price for it with our lives…we haven't quite recovered. Anyway – Severus came back into my life and I decided to take a chance…"

"The Headmaster sent me on a mission Molly. The darkest reaches of Russia and the Ukraine. The last thing I wanted to do was to be apart from Lisa once I found out from Severus that she was pregnant. Things were tense between Lisa and I for a time because of Albus and his demands and expectations long before I went back to Hogwarts to teach. I wasn't able to be with her as I should have been and not a day has gone by where I haven't had a lot of regrets about that."

Molly looked at Remus warmly and gave him a motherly nod.

Despite her own prejudices against werewolves, she had always hoped that somehow Lupin would get around the laws of their world which prevented him from marrying and having a family of his own. It was written all over her face that in her mind he was definitely preferable to the irascible Potions Master.

"Severus was the one who took care of me during my pregnancy, Mrs. Weasley," Lisa said firmly as she held her husband close. "He sorted things out so that I could be monitored properly at St. Mungos and there would be no record of it anywhere in your world. He took a lot of risks for me and for Remus' daughter. If he had given up on me, both Selena and I would be dead now. And Sebastian; I don't even want to think what would have happened to my baby without me or his father. My family…my family turned their backs on me a long time ago in many ways. They don't accept Remus any more than they do Severus and our children. But I don't regret being with either of them or having my babies. It hasn't been easy Mrs. Weasley, but I will do whatever it takes to see to it that our children have a future; a safe and happy future…even if it means I may not live to see them grow up."

Molly looked at Lisa intensely but before she could say what all knew she was thinking Lisa spoke once more and addressed further concerns.

"I loved Remus, Molly. I still care about him deeply. We have been through a lot together and we have a child together. I want Selena to know her father and for Remus to be an active part of his daughter's life. Severus and I have done everything we can to encourage and support it. And I know what you all think of him, but Severus has been a big help – a lot more than I have a right to expect. It's not an easy situation for any of us – but your Headmaster has to bear a healthy portion of the blame for why things are the way they are. If he had just done even one thing differently our lives might well be different…"

Lisa sighed.

"But I love Selena and we wouldn't have her if he had supported me and Severus…I don't want to know what life would be like without my little girl. I really don't. All I do know is that things could be much better than they are. Despite that I am still happy as I can be under the circumstances and grateful for what I do have. I have wanted this day for so long and yet feared it too…the day when our two worlds would finally merge. I just wish the circumstances were very different. With things as they are in your world and my babies' lives at risk – I will do anything, _ANYTHING_ to get them through whatever comes alive and well…and to have a proper family once and for all. I want us all to live – even though I know the odds are against it…"

There was silence as all considered Lisa's heartfelt confession, realism and her considerable strength and resolve. But of all present only Remus was aware that his ex-wife was very adept at putting up a good front for all concerned in any matter. He suspected now was one of those times. She wasn't always as strong as she made herself out to be.

"Albus Dumbledore forced BOTH of you to leave her and those sweet little angels?!" sniffed Molly indignantly breaking the stillness. "And Merlin's Beard…had you died…it doesn't bear thinking about. I tell you what though – he made a mistake in casting you out. You have more strength and courage and determination than many the Headmaster places far too much trust in…"

"Correct," Snape replied with a nod. "And no, it doesn't bear thinking about. Something for the Headmaster to consider once he graces us with his esteemed presence. But yes – I do agree with you wholeheartedly: Professor Dumbledore would do well to reconsider his attitude towards my wife. I have never known a woman like her and you yourself can see how she gets on. Lisa deserves better than this."

Molly let out a deep sigh.

"That is the most..._outrageous_…_despicable_….thing I have ever heard of! Goddess knows that man has made some decisions I have not agreed with – but this is it!" she huffed. "And you two just went along with it?! What were you thinking?!"

"I would propose that you say _'no'_ to the Headmaster the next time he makes a demand that you do not agree with and don't bother complaining to the rest of us," Severus said defensively. "Despite everything, I never stopped loving Lisa or our son. I wanted us to be a family. I wanted to be with them and shoulder the responsibilities for them as best I could. So we began to see each other again when her annulment was final; it took some doing to convince her that I was with her not just because of my son. I also was prepared to go against the Headmaster. I asked for her hand and we set up home here…in secret. I love my wife and my children…_both of them_."

"And the little girl," began Molly

"_Selena,"_ said Remus.

"Selena is yours, Remus…named after your mother of course?"

"That's right…"

The werewolf gave a slight nod as he blinked moistness from his eyes. It was clear he was deeply unhappy about this situation.

"It's a bit of a tangled web, Mrs. Weasley. No thanks to your Headmaster," Lisa said bitterly as she gave one of Remus' hands a gentle squeeze.

Snape was clearly unhappy at his wife's public display of affection with his old enemy, but knew better than to start a fight. They had bigger problems to deal with at the moment. He loved his wife dearly and knew that this situation was most difficult for her out of all of them. And he knew above else that he was the one who had her heart. No matter what happened – he would always have her heart to the exclusion of anyone else she might admit to caring deeply about.

"That it is my dear. I know it's not entirely down to you," said Molly as she reached out and gave the young woman's arm a motherly pat and then pulled her into a tender hug. "A woman's heart is an ocean of secrets – hidden from even herself quite often. Though we try, we can't always help who we fall in love with and who we love. Male or female – I think that is true for us all. My Arthur and I are both proof of it…but _that_ is another story for another time."

"You are too kind, but thank you," Lisa said gently as her eyes filled with tears. "Excuse me please…"

She leaned in and gave Severus a kiss and left the room. There was the sound of a door opening and closing.

"She is a bit overwhelmed – getting herself together," said Remus quietly before Severus could say anything. "But thank you Molly; for understanding and not judging her…"

"It's not right! What Albus has done is not right by _any_ of you. Keeping a man from the woman he loves and their child. Once is bad enough, but twice! I just don't understand what he has against her…and those poor children. Goodness knows they need their fathers!"

"Besides the fact that she is a Muggle and two of his most useful pawns _both_ love and are in love with her," said Severus with more than a trace of bitterness and anger as he laid all their cards on the table.

Lupin sat in silence looking at the mug of tea in front of him. He was not going to deny that he loved his ex-wife. He loved her more than he had ever believed would be possible. Nothing would ever change that – especially as she had borne him a child. What he wouldn't give to be a proper father to his daughter. What he wouldn't give to have more children with the woman he loved and spend the rest of whatever time they had left together.

"I better get going," he said resignedly before he took a sip of his now lukewarm tea.

"Actually I think it would be better for Severus and I to see Albus directly," said Mrs. Weasley with a nod as she squinted. "All things considered he is not just going to take a portkey down here just because the situation with Headquarters. And I think its time for a chat with Minerva – and we need to do that _BEFORE_ we see him. She won't be happy with what he's done – not one bit. He hasn't had to be away from her or the children unless it was for business."

"Tapping into those Slytherin sensibilities of yours," Severus said silkily.

"Goddess knows I've had plenty of practice with those twins of mine!"

Just then there was the sound of squabbling _("It's my turn!", "NO!", "I want to watch my program!", "NO!"_) from the conservatory, then a thud and finally a high-pitched howl. Sebastian was crying.

"Excuse me…" said Severus with a determined air as he jumped up and swept from the room. "It is much too early for this…"

There was a pause.

"_Who told you that you could turn on the television?!" came his voice as he picked both of them up. "Back to bed the both of you and I do not want to hear one sound from either of you is that clear?!"_

There was a second round of howling. Selena knew she was in trouble, but was counting on her tears to soften her father's anger.

"Let me help…goodness knows if I had a sickle for every time I had to sort out my brood we could buy out Gringotts," said Molly as she followed him to help put the children back to bed.

The children didn't go to bed without putting up a bit of a fight. Mrs. Weasley simply charmed them to sleep. They wouldn't be up for a few hours now. Severus had to admit it – magic certainly had its uses as much he wanted his children to have a normal life outside of the dramas of the wizarding world.

He and Molly prepared to leave.

"Lupin – kindly stay until we return," the Potions Master said tensely. Though it was the last thing he wanted, there was no choice in the matter.. "Lisa and the children mustn't be left alone…can you please tell her why we are gone…"

Remus nodded his agreement as he closed and locked the back door behind them.

Instead of going into the kitchen he gently knocked at the powder room door.

There was silence.

He opened the door and found it empty. A moment's thought and he went into Lisa's office where he found her sitting on her overstuffed sofa crying. She had hid her face in her hands and was trying to hide the sounds.

"Hey, hey…this isn't like you," he said softly as he sat next to her. "What's wrong?"

Lisa shook her head and cried into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Remus! I'm so sorry! I don't mean to hurt you – honestly I don't!"

"I know, my love. I know. So am I. It's all my fault we're in this mess…"

"I always thought that somehow I could still manage to have some sort of normal life, Remus. Until now I wanted to believe it would happen – as much as I knew I was deluding myself. The kids are already showing the signs that they are magical children. It's only because of a few potions that we manage to have them go to school. And now with Mrs. Weasley here…and the rest of them that are coming…I just…I just…it's not possible…is it?"

Lupin held her and gave her a kiss on the forehead. He knew better than anyone that Lisa put up a brave front to the world, but deep down she needed love and support that was as constant, strong and comforting as what she gave herself. And that was something she didn't quite have with the Potions Master yet. How could she when they had been forced to be apart for so long? She was no different than the average single mother – her comfortable lifestyle notwithstanding.

But she'd had a decent enough standard of living well before Severus came into the picture. Her family was fairly well off and she'd grown up with the best of everything. However, Lisa had worked very hard at putting herself through university and graduate school working to pay her fees herself, and then at a succession of Marketing and Design jobs over the years that had paid fairly more than enough. She'd always looked after her interests well. With two exceptions of being made redundant, she'd never had the major struggles that she could have done all things considered.

But one thing was most certainly true – she needed love and support the way everyone else needed air to breathe. Two things she'd never had in abundance. Remus knew it and understood it. In his mind Severus didn't.

"No, Daisy, I'm afraid it's not. Not yet," Remus said tenderly, calling her by the pet name he used to when they were together. He explained that Severus and Molly had left – and their plan for once they reached Hogwarts.

Lisa cried softly.

"Sssshhhhh; everything will be alright. I promise. I will be here to help you and the kids through this."

"I'm sorry, Remus. I'm so sorry for everything I've put you through…and for being so bloody useless when I need to be stronger…"

"You gave me the best years of my life…"

There was a pause as his voice trailed off.

Lisa looked up at him questioningly and Remus leaned in to give her a gentle kiss.

"Remus no! I don't want this and it's not right! You really need to get over me and find someone else!"

"You still love me," Lupin whispered hoarsely as he looked at her with longing. "I know you do and so does Severus! Why else do you think he came back once he knew I was here?!"

"We all know I care about you, Remus. _Care; not Love._ It's very different with me and Severus and it always has been. I love Severus with all my heart and sou – I really wish you accept that. This situation is hard enough as it is; I am not going to compound our problems by making yet another mistake and I don't intend to break my husband's heart even more than I already have, even more than I already do by caring about what happens to the biological father of his daughter…"

"_So you stay with him because you feel sorry for all that he has gone through? What about me Lisa? What about us; what __we__ had together? What we can __**still**__ have…Has it ever occurred to you that Snape is not a man who will ever settle for a quiet life no matter how much he claims to want to?! He is no better than Sirius was – always having to be in the thick of things especially at great personal risk and his ambitions will get the better of him one of these days! Both of them were as bad as each other in that regard. I know Severus better than he thinks and I definitely know you – the real you! Inside! I know you better than he ever will! _

_What kind of love and support do you really have with him when you barely see each other! You are no closer to knowing the real him now than you ever were and you are fooling yourself if you think that anything will ever really change. If it's not Voldemort it will be something else. Severus has wanted a position in the Order of Merlin and the Ministry since we were at school. And let's not forget his fascination with the Dark Arts – there is still much that he wants to learn and master and everyone knows that! That is the nature of our world and that most definitely is the nature of Severus Snape. He is not a Muggle and he never will be! And neither will our children! Years from now he will still be out there on some quest for status in our world and you will be here without him throwing your life away!"_

Lisa tried to keep her emotions in check. She didn't agree with Remus by any stretch of the imagination, and she'd made a choice. She was prepared to live with the realities and consequences of that choice come what may.

"I'm done arguing with you Remus! I am not going to leave him; not for you or anyone else! _I can't!_ Not after everything he has risked for me and our children. You don't have to like it Remus, but you need to understand and respect it. _Would you really want to trust your heart and your life to someone who could just walk out on the man she is supposed to love and care about? You deserve better than that – and so does Severus. _I can't hurt him like that – Molly was right – I do love him! In spite of everything I do honestly love him – it's not the same as what you and I had together... it's stronger and deeper! I really didn't want to have to say that to you but that's the reality of this situation! If I wanted to be with you nothing would have ever happened with me and Severus this second time around!"

Lupin's face was a mask of incredulity and there was a tightening in Lisa's voice as she continued.

"Remus, please. I know it's hard – but I need you. I need you to help me get through this for the sake of our daughter and my son," she said softly as she brushed his hair off his face. "I need for things to be alright for all of us and they won't be if you don't let me go and find yourself a decent woman who actually loves you and wants to be with you..and who can be a good stepmother to Selena. With what is going on in your world, there are no guarantees for any of us. It's pointless to do anything but take things one day at a time and just deal with the hand that's been dealt. You deserve some happiness, you do. It just won't be with me. I'm sorry."

She trailed off and cleared her throat and tried to breathe steadily.

"You could have been a part of a real family again, but OK. I'll just have to accept that that's not what you really want," Lupin commented evenly. "Nevermind the fact that my parents miss you. They would love it if we were together again and they could be proper grandparents to their only grandchild but nevermind They'll just have to get over it, just like I will."

"Do you get some kind of perverse pleasure at my torment?!"

"No – of course not. It was worth saying since we're putting all our cards on the table. We will get through this as friends for the sake of our daughter. I know you don't want to accept it but I don't trust Severus and I sure as hell don't trust Lucius Malfoy. Veritaserum is not foolproof. Severus is quite a master of the Dark Arts as it is and surely he knows that. They could be playing us for all we know – headquarters gets destroyed when it is supposed to be nigh on impossible?! Something isn't right here and we need to face it! However, we have no choice at the moment…and it's up to Albus in the end…there is a scorpion in our midst again. And he needs to sort it out once and for all…"

Remus looked over at Lisa as she stood up and walked over to one of the windows. She'd had no choice but to trust the man she had given her heart to, the man who had given her a son. Her son needed his father – and Severus Snape was not a man to be kept from his son. Were things to ever go pear-shaped between them they all knew what a bastard Snape would be. Lisa had seen his bad side more than enough. And quite often Lupin wondered if deep down she really was afraid of Severus. Afraid of what he might do if she did leave and tried to take his son away for good. That was quite a different proposition to when the Potions Master had left _her_.

Still – even then Snape had gone ballistic when she and Remus became involved. His son living with a werewolf; a werewolf being a father to his son. The only thing that kept him in check was the fact the fact that he was a Death Eater. Once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater. A prominent Death Eater that had sired a child with a Muggle. No, that wouldn't go down too well with Voldemort any more than it did with the Headmaster. There was a way out for Lisa in his mind. Dumbledore would now know about her, that much was a given. But Voldemort – the Dark Lord had to be vanquished once and for all. When that happened then they would all be free…free to choose their own destiny. He would fight for the love of the only woman he had ever really cared about and who had given him her heart freely and openly once upon a time.

"I love you, Daisy. No matter what I will always love you and our children…" he said quietly. "Everything I ever did…everything I didn't do…was because I love you and wanted the best for you. I wanted you and the kids safe and sound and didn't know what else to do. I wanted you to have as much of a normal life as you could do in spite of the circumstances and I made a lot of mistakes in the process. We both did. What I wouldn't give to undo this unholy mess."

"I'm sorry, Remus. I know it's not good enough for you, but I am, really I am…" Lisa replied wearily before leaving the room.

**XxxOOOxxX**

"_What have you to say?"_ came a dangerous low hiss.

"You have succeeded my Lord. The Order of the Phoenix is no more. Their headquarters was found out and it has been destroyed. Dumbledore's followers are scattered to the four winds…the few who were not there," said Voldemort's servant as he bowed low. It was not so much for respect as much as he could not bear to lay his eyes on such an 'abomination to humankind'.

There was a high shrill burst of laughter that sent chills up the spines of the Death Eaters present.

"And who gave the order for this?"

"There was no time, your Lordship – we had to act quickly," the fool admitted.

"I understand," replied the Dark Lord patiently as he snapped his fingers. It was almost like purring.

A white-blonde haired aristocratic wizard stepped forward and inclined his head slightly as he leaned on what was obviously a very expensive ebony walking stick with the silver head of a serpent. He would give due deference, but he was no deluded sycophant as those who were about to die were.

"Yes, my Lord?" Lucius Malfoy drawled in the coolest of tones despite being very unnerved by the situation.

For Voldemort to be playing it cool for so long meant that the most unspeakable cruelty was about to be unleashed. With any luck he would not have to witness it. But he would remain discreetly in the vicinity so that he could file a report with the Order. The aftermath was always even more revealing than the event itself in his experience.

"It would seem there was no time to adhere to even the most basic of protocol," Voldemort said with a searing hiss.

"Quite, my Lord."

"You may go. I expect you and Severus to return in three day's time with any news that may be around regarding the Order. Do I make myself clear?"

"_Crystal…my Lord._"

Lucius Malfoy turned on his heels and strode calmly to the door. Only when he was out in the corridor with it shut behind him did he let out a deep breath. He moved quickly to the side and watched discreetly through a crack in the wall.

Voldemort continued on with his minions who steadily gave him the ammunition by which they would be judged.

"What did you learn there? Dumbledore – what of my enemy? And the werewolf, I will interrogate _him_ immediately," said the Dark Lord Voldemort as he rose.

"_Learn? You…your…enemy? The Werewolf?"_

Voldemort froze.

"Surely you did not instigate such a wanton act of unnecessary destruction without a clear purpose _AND_ meaningful result?"

One of the men tried to run for it and before he could take two steps Voldemort blasted him with an icy blue beam of light.

"_Incendiocruciari!"_ he bellowed

"**ARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGG GGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! NNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"** the man screamed before his body turned itself inside out, pulsated and then finally exploded in a ball of fire.

There was nothing but a black body print seared into the stone floor with fire and steam rising from it.

"You are in luck Wormtail; very little to clean up!" the Dark Lord hissed at a quivering wreck of a butterball wizard half-hiding behind a large chair.

Voldemort turned his attention to the others who had helped destroy Grimmauld Place. Two of them had backed themselves against a far wall.

"_Unlike the rest of you…" _

There was nothing less than carnage as Voldemort slaughtered his idiot followers. The floor was a sea of blood, body parts and flesh and the walls a mural of death.

"WORMTAIL!"

"Y..y…yes M'Lord?" said Peter Pettigrew as he prostrate himself on the ground. It was completely unnecessary and he now looked like he had bathed in blood thanks to his stupidity.

"Your report…"

"_R..r..report? M'Lord?"_

Voldemort drew his wand.

"I see I must refresh your memory - _CRUCIO_!"

Wormtail twitched and rocked to the side as the most unimaginable pain took hold of him. He could not breathe let alone scream.

Voldemort released the curse.

"I will not ask you again…nor will I be so merciful."

Wormtail struggled to catch his breath – he knew better than to keep the Dark Lord waiting.

"Mmm…McNair reports that th…th…the goblins sir…they are definitely willing to consider a proposal now. They are ready to meet and have a delegation of senior officials on standby from Gringotts. The Senior Administrators."

Once again there was that high shrill laugh that made the hairs stand up on the back of Lucius's neck whenever he heard it.

"There now, perhaps next time you will not be so…reluctant…"

"Y…yes, M'Lord…"

"I want the werewolf Wormtail; I want him more than anything," Voldemort hissed. "But I cannot leave such an important matter as this to you. Time for Bellatrix to make herself useful!"

Lucius tried not to vomit as Pettigrew picked himself up off the floor, scurried through the carnage of the room and disappeared through another door. There was no need to hover any longer. As always, the aftermath yielded an even more interesting result.

And this one was very useful; very useful indeed.


	5. The Reckoning, Part 2

**Plot, new characters, new magical terms and abilities etc. are my intellectual property. If you want to borrow then please kindly ask. JK Rowling's characters and Wizarding Universe are all uniquely hers. **

**AU, OOC: Why does Snape never eat at Order of the Phoenix Headquarters? What is the truth behind the animosity between he and Lupin? What does Voldemort have in store this time for the wizarding world...and Snape? Read on…**

**AUTHORS NOTES: IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR CANON AND SUCH CHARACTERISATIONS YOU DEFINITELY WILL NOT FIND THEM HERE.**

**Bittersweet Symphony**

**by NativeMoon**

**Chapter 5: The Reckoning Part II**

"_You…are married?"_

"_Yes," _Snape replied coldly.

"_And…you have a son?"_

"_Correct."_

Professor McGonagall sank down into her chair.

"I warned him! I told him time and time again not to meddle! But would he listen?!"

"You knew?!" Mrs. Weasley roared.

"I only knew that Severus had apparently met someone and Albus was not happy about it! I had _no idea_ that he would go to such lengths to interfere in the Professor's private affairs! The Headmaster takes it upon himself to do what he thinks is for the greater good, not realising that people just might get hurt in the process…"

"Or that he will end up with exactly the opposite of what he believes he wants," the Potions Master sniffed.

"Or believes the end result should be…" added Mrs. Weasley.

"And Remus…_Poor Remus_," Minerva clucked as she shook her head in disbelief. "It's so hard for his kind and yet Albus had to destroy his happiness as well? Just what on earth has he got against this woman anyway?"

"Besides the fact that she is a Muggle and two of his most useful pawns both love and are in love with her," Severus snapped for the second time that day.

"Surely there_ has_ to be a deeper reason why he did what he did, Minerva," said Molly. "For God's sake, we all know that Albus tends to know a lot more than he ever lets on…"

"It serves no purpose for him to withhold any information he might have. If there was some credible reason Lupin and I needed to keep our distance from Lisa then we both were entitled to know! It really was not enough to just give up everything important to us on his say so – in effect that is what we did, although not willingly. As far as I am concerned there is nothing he can say to excuse how he has handled this sorry state of affairs! And do not forget that there are children affected in all of this!"

"I agree, Severus," said Professor McGonagall as she flinched slightly. It was still a lot to deal with: Severus Snape being a husband and father – and surrogate parent to a werewolf child. "But something just isn't right. All sorts of accommodations could have been made in both situations. After all – other than the two of you and Remus no one else even knows about me and Albus; or our children. And given all that he's done to follow the dictates of his own heart…"

"The level of his hypocrisy is inexcusable," huffed Molly.

Professor McGonagall's eyebrows shot up almost into the tight bun on top of her head.

"It is the truth, Minerva! Regardless of what you have with the Headmaster, regardless of what you undoubtedly do feel for him, surely you see the sense in all that has been put to you?" asked Professor Snape.

"Aye…that I do, as painful as it is to know all this…"

There was nothing but quiet as her visitors let the Deputy Headmistress digest all that she'd been told about the facts and what they felt about the situation.

"Right. It's high time you had a word with Albus; it's time we all had a word with him," Professor McGonagall said breaking the tension-filled silence.

"No time like the present," said Molly. "After all, that is why we are here. "

"I see. Making use of your own Slytherin sensibilities eh Molly?"

"Common sense has nothing to do with where one is sorted, Professor," said Snape though he agreed. "Cunning does not always equal devious. There is nothing underhanded about revealing the truth especially to the one who has benefited tremendously from the Headmaster's accommodation of his own personal relationship."

"Well then; let's get on with it," said Professor McGonagall as she led Professor Snape and Mrs. Weasley through the portrait guarding her office. "I daresay he'd better have a damned good reason for all this…"

"No doubt in his mind he does," said Snape. "The only thing I care about is that he makes amends with my wife. If it wasn't for her, the Order would be imploding on itself. As it is, she and our children are the only thing that has kept me alive. He owes her as much as he does me, regardless of any feelings otherwise on his part."

**XxxOOOxxX**

Professor Snape stood before the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to the Headmaster's office. He grimaced in spite of himself. It always pained him to have to say the infantile passwords Dumbledore chose.

"_Butterscotch Bogeys!"_

Neither Professor McGonagall nor Mrs. Weasley could be bothered to so much as grin. It wasn't everyday that anyone found themselves in a position to hear the Potions Master say such a thing, but this wasn't a laughing matter. Lives had been lost and destroyed and too much was at stake.

The gargoyle moved aside to reveal a moving staircase. The three Order of the Phoenix members hopped on and disappeared from sight. All couldn't help but be worried deep inside.

Nothing about this was going to be easy.

**XxxOOOxxX**

The Headmaster turned around in surprise.

"Severus? Molly? Minerva? What is the meaning of this?"

It was most unseemly for The Potions Master and Mrs. Weasley to be seen together. As far as anyone knew Snape didn't like Mrs. Weasley any more than he did anyone else. and none of the Weasley children were doing bad enough in Potions to warrant a visit to the Headmaster's office, mainly because the Headmaster saw to it that Snape didn't fail them along with the rest of Gryffindor. And to be accompanied by the Deputy Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor House, more questions than answers would be raised by such an unlikely alliance if they were seen together.

The last thing the Order needed was for undue attention to be brought to his least-liked professor and spy.

"_You…you don't know Albus?"_ Minerva gasped.

Professor Snape's mouth set in a thin line.

This was not good. Not good at all.

"_Grimmauld Place_…is gone," Molly said quietly.

Professor Dumbledore dropped the books he had just taken off a shelf.

"_**NO!" **_

"Yes," Professor Snape said quietly. "Thanks to Mundungus Fletcher. He conveniently got drunk at the Hogshead and ran off his mouth…"

"Thank Merlin he wasn't reliable enough to make all the meetings we needed him to attend…" said Minerva darkly.

She'd always known that there were better and more reliable people than Dung Fletcher in his circles who could have gotten the job done without betraying the Order, however inadvertent.

"_**NO!"**_

"**YES!** Some new recruits to the Death Eaters were there and rather than go through the appropriate channels, they took it upon themselves to try and curry favour with the Dark Lord. It was confirmed with your contact at the pub; but he was too late to raise the alarm. Nothing could be done."

The Potions Master then filled the Headmaster in on all that he'd been told by Lucius Malfoy.

"Hermione Granger? Her parents if it is indeed her that was…"

"And the Creeveys, the Johnsons…" sniffed Molly as she wiped her eyes. "I couldn't bare the thought of losing any of my children or people that I know and care about…"

"You did not have a contingency plan, Albus," said Minerva matter-of-factly. "You were so sure that the Fidelus would work this time – but Severus did say at the very beginning that all it would take is for the wrong person to let slip the location."

"I warned you, Headmaster," Snape said darkly. "And once again, you dismissed my concerns and expertise in the matter…"

"You wouldn't believe that anyone could be so careless, Dumbledore…" Mrs. Weasley said heatedly. "Yet of all of us, Fletcher _was_ the most careless and most likely to be a problem. He always was more concerned with his dodgy deals than in what you needed him to do. His behaviour put Headquarters and everyone he knew to be in the Order at grave risk. What if he shot off his mouth elsewhere, eh? What then? Our lives won't be worth anything!"

"I can at least confirm that the Dark Lord knows nothing of Order members save those present at the Black residence. His recruits weren't even cunning enough to gather intelligence. It's not even known that the house belonged to Sirius Black. And we can consider ourselves fortunate that Lucius Malfoy and Narcsissa Black are desperate enough to want to save their own skins and that of their precious son so much as to have turned from the Dark Lord. Narcissa has too much to lose and so does her husband. As far as all are concerned she has not had any contact with her own family since she left school and married Lucius. And it is true; with the notable exception of the house-elf she has not had any contact with the Blacks."

"You say that as if you believe it is only_ temporary_," huffed Molly. "And if it is only temporary then why, in Merlin's name, is he a member of the Order – free to hand us all over to Voldemort when he sees fit; just like you depending on the circumstances. What's to say that you are not hedging your bets either!"

"Malfoy does not care about anything other than saving his own skin. _He is no different than most of us in that regard_. I will not portray myself as being so altruistic in the fight against the evils of You-Know-Who and neither would he. However, it does bear considering that _I came to you of my own free will_. Lucius had nowhere else to turn after his stint in Azkaban, which he freely admits. Voldemort did not execute him only because_ I_ managed to convince him it would be a big mistake to rid himself of one of his most loyal and long-serving servants. Veritaserum is not foolproof – that we all know; but Malfoy Senior was just as dismal at Potions as his son. We can be grateful for that. It is not within his capability to circumvent or overcome any serum. The only thing we need be mindful of is how he uses what information he gains for his own personal gain. After all, he did loose everything when he was sent to Azkaban. It is the Black fortune that his wife inherited upon her marriage and the birth of their son that supports his family. Lucius is a proud man. It does not sit well with him, not at all. And there is not much left of his wife's meager dowry.

Be that as it may; he has his own personal ambitions completely independent of the Dark Lord and the Headmaster. He is no different than the rest of us in that regard and I will not condemn him for that either. I too would like nothing better than to be able to leave all of this behind and get on with my life; **my life with my wife and children!**"

What little light that was left in Professor Dumbledore's eyes evaporated as soon as the last word was uttered by his Potions Master. Never before had anyone recalled seeing the Headmaster move so fast such as when he leapt from his chair and charged around the desk. Professor Snape was more than ready and had leapt up with his wand drawn, knocking his own chair back in the process. Professor McGonagall jumped in front of the Headmaster while Mrs. Weasley attempted to hold back Snape.

"AFTER ALL I HAVE DONE FOR YOU! YOU WENT AGAINST MY ORDERS AND BETRAYED ME!" Dumbledore roared. "A WIFE AND CHILDREN?! HOW DARE YOU COMPROMISE EVERYTHING FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR OWN SELFISH DESIRES!"

"BETRAYED YOU?!" screamed Professor Snape. "**I HAVE GIVEN **_**MY LIFE**_** TO YOU**! I HAVE RISKED MY LIFE FOR YOU OVER AND OVER AGAIN! I HAVE BEEN IN YOUR DEBT AS MUCH AS THE DARK LORD'S FOR ALL THESE YEARS! LISA WAS RIGHT – I WILL DO ANYTHING TO GET THAT DEBT PAID AND I HAVE DONE! I HAVE SACRIFICED BEING A PROPER HUSBAND AND FATHER TO THE WOMAN I LOVE AND OUR CHILDREN ALL AT THE SAYSO OF THE GREATEST WIZARD OF THE AGE! NO MORE – I WILL ENDURE NO MORE!"

"She was right?" hissed Dumbledore. "What does she know of our world? **What does she really know about you and your place in our world?**"

"She knows **EVERYTHING**! I have **never** lied to my wife, not even by omission! And what's more she has seen it for herself – I showed her in the pensieve!"

"You took my things – to that woman!"

"I did what was necessary to be open and honest with my wife, with the woman I love more than anything in this world! There is nothing I wouldn't do for her. I made a mistake all those years ago letting you come between us – I was not about to loose her altogether especially after she bore me a son!"

"There is another child, a daughter. Except… except…" Molly sputtered.

"The child is Remus Lupin's…" Minerva said sharply. "Are you satisfied, Albus? Whatever your reasons were they weren't good enough. You have destroyed two families – two children are having to grow up without their fathers and this poor woman has no one to help her when both of the fathers of her children are more than willing and capable! She deserves to have what I have had with you all these years! Why does it suit you in your own life but not with Severus or Remus?"

Dumbledore blinked and took shallow breaths. All his best-laid plans had come undone, and through no fault of his own as far as he was concerned.

"What do you have against her anyway, Dumbledore? What's she ever done to you except fall in love?" shrieked Mrs. Weasley as she finally lost her cool.

Professor Dumbledore said nothing.

"I see! Well, you will just have to get over it, won't you!" Professor Snape hissed. "I will not give her up; not for you, not for anyone for _any _reason – not again! We have had to carry on as best we can for so long…for far too long. I love her and it is only because of her that I still live. She has given me the courage to get through this. And she has been far more understanding than I have a right to expect…"

"Severus's wife has put her life and those of their children on the line for him, Albus; for all of us," Minerva said quietly.

"Their home is to be the new headquarters and she has some very good ideas about how to see our way out of this mess," said Molly.

"She…has 'some very good ideas'…" muttered the Headmaster darkly. "Their home… A _Muggle_ knows better than I…"

"_Yes, she has. You have never been inclined to know her so you don't know how much we really do need her…"_

This came not from Severus, but from Lucius Malfoy. He had heard enough. It was just was well he'd decided to come straight to Headmaster after finding out from Lisa that Severus had gone. He never thought he'd see the day where he would see the value in Muggles. He didn't quite do – but Lisa, well she was different. He could talk to her about many things – things which he'd never spoken of to anyone, not even his beloved Narcissa. She was a good woman – and a very good friend. _He was friends with a Muggle_ – Merlin's beard it was frustrating and even confusing. But he would not be rid of her for all the gold in Gringotts. He needed her; they all needed her in this – the darkest of hours.

"And you do?"

"Yes, I do. She has done a lot for me and my family. More than any of us have had a right to expect. Severus needed her help and she has given it freely. Regardless of what she may think of me and what I have done – she has been a true friend and she is a good woman. She deserves better than the treatment she has gotten from you. She and Severus both do. I will not deny that you have every right to question me and to doubt me as I know you all do – but Lisa is different. She deserves better from you, Dumbledore!"

"You seem to be forgetting yourself, Mr. Malfoy. I don't think Tom would be too pleased to learn that he has yet another traitor in his midst."

"No, he wouldn't! But you won't do anything to compromise the only advantage you have left," hissed Professor Snape. "No others are capable of doing for you what we have done. And your own choices in recruits has not put you in good stead. You ignored my concerns about Fletcher and look at what it has cost you. And if it wasn't for Lucius, Lupin **would** have been caught some time ago. No matter what you think of us, no matter what you think of my wife – you owe it to her and to us to give her a chance. She has done **nothing** wrong – nothing except love me. If nothing else that should put her in good stead in your eyes since not even you have ever seen fit to do such a thing. I'm not here because you love me, Headmaster; I'm here because you need me and I am useful to you because I decided I need you!"

Dumbledore visibly blanched.

He had been betrayed by his Potions Master and also by a man thought very highly of and considered to be on the side of the good. Never would he have thought Remus could go against him – but it did seem as though he had done to have had a daughter with _her_.

"Just so that you know – the young lady was pregnant when you forced Lupin to leave her," said Molly matter-of-factly. "Luckily, being the good man that he is, he never gave up on her or their child…even though it's not an easy situation. Not for him, not for her nor their daughter. And definitely not for Severus. Matter of fact she'd be dead right now and the girl if Severus had given up on her as you insisted he should!"

"Feel better now, Headmaster?" Snape said venomously. "No need to grieve for a betrayal by the werewolf that never happened!"

"She bore his child…_with_ his knowledge…" Dumbledore said as he bristled with anger.

"OH GET OVER YOURSELF ALBUS" roared Minerva. Never in a million years could she have believed the man she loved, the man she adored could behave as he had done. She couldn't believe what her own senses were telling her. "Don't you understand? Lives have been lost! Headquarters is GONE! Thanks to Severus and his wife we can regroup quickly! Whatever your problems are with her they will just have to be yours! We need her!"

"And I expect that you will treat her with every bit of courtesy and respect that she is due in her own home; _our_ home!" hissed the Potions Master. "You accept filth like Fletcher – even myself and Malfoy – and yet you condemn her! I will not stand for it!"

Had he stood up to the Headmaster so long ago things would have been different. He couldn't undo the past as such – he wouldn't even be so foolhardy as to try, but he would do what he could to ensure their future going forward.

"You don't have to like her, Albus," said Mrs. Weasley. "But you should at least respect her…"

"However, if that is too difficult for you then by all means – tell us what Plan B is since clearly Plan A did not suffice," Lucius drawled sarcastically.

There was no other plan and they all knew it.

Several moments of silence passed by.

"We do not have time to waste," the Headmaster said resignedly. "We need to regroup as quickly as possible. So – I suppose the day of reckoning is at hand. Lead the way, Severus…"

There was an uneasy unspoken truce as they prepared to leave.

But all knew that lines had been crossed.

Time would only tell what would come of it all.


End file.
